Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center's
Dennis Thomas 22nd annual
ART & WRITING CHALLENGE - 2021
AND
YOUTH ACTIVIST GRANT
Topic/Prompt for Art & Writing Challenge 2021:
Daring to Dream: What Will Emerge?
Our art and writing challenge, named in honor of its founder Dennis T. Thomas is organized to encourage and support local youth to address issues of peace and social justice through visual art or writing (creative writing or essay)
This year, we would like students to consider the significance of 2020/2021 and the multitude of ways it has had an impact on their self-identity, daily lives, families, and concept of the future. We want to hear from students who are attempting to make sense of the chaos we have collectively experienced over the past year. What do they envision emerging from this moment? Where do we go from here?
We encourage all students to explore their own interpretations of our theme. These questions are simply meant to serve as a helpful guide:
Submissions are open to all middle and high school students in Contra Costa County.
COVID-19 Safety:
Due to shelter-in-place ordinances, the Peace Center has closed it's office in Lafayette for the time being. We are still holding our Art and Writing Contest for this year, along with our Youth Activist Grants but have modified the submission process.
ALL ENTRIES + NOMINATIONS MAY BE SUBMITTED VIA GOOGLE FORMS:
tinyurl.com/AWchallenge2021
Instructions for submissions:
To submit visual art, take a birds-eye photograph of your piece, ensuring that it is properly lit and in focus.
All writing submissions should be submitted as a WORD or GOOGLE Document, please no PDFs! Entries no longer need a cover sheet, simply fill out the information and upload a photograph of your visual artwork or a PDF of your writing.
Nomination forms for the Youth Activist Grant can be found at the bottom of this page and may also be submitted via the same google form.
Our deadline for submissions is MAY 20th, 2021 @ 11:59PM.
Our judging panel will select A&W winners in the following categories:
Daring to Dream: What Will Emerge?
Our art and writing challenge, named in honor of its founder Dennis T. Thomas is organized to encourage and support local youth to address issues of peace and social justice through visual art or writing (creative writing or essay)
This year, we would like students to consider the significance of 2020/2021 and the multitude of ways it has had an impact on their self-identity, daily lives, families, and concept of the future. We want to hear from students who are attempting to make sense of the chaos we have collectively experienced over the past year. What do they envision emerging from this moment? Where do we go from here?
We encourage all students to explore their own interpretations of our theme. These questions are simply meant to serve as a helpful guide:
- Our theme this year is “Daring to Dream” - What is something you dare to dream for the betterment of all peoples?
- Many people speak of using this time as an opportunity to reassess things we have taken for granted and work to establish: “a new normal” for society as we return from quarantine. What does this mean to you and would that look like for you?
- What opportunities for growth have this past year provided you?
- When you think of “emergence” in the context of this moment, what comes to mind?
- What actions should you take, and/or should our government take to bring forward new possibilities for the future that serve ALL peoples?
- Write a story/poem - envisioning/imagining a more peaceful future for all peoples, beyond this pandemic
- What dangers, if any, do you see in an attempt to return to a “state of normalcy”?
Submissions are open to all middle and high school students in Contra Costa County.
COVID-19 Safety:
Due to shelter-in-place ordinances, the Peace Center has closed it's office in Lafayette for the time being. We are still holding our Art and Writing Contest for this year, along with our Youth Activist Grants but have modified the submission process.
ALL ENTRIES + NOMINATIONS MAY BE SUBMITTED VIA GOOGLE FORMS:
tinyurl.com/AWchallenge2021
Instructions for submissions:
To submit visual art, take a birds-eye photograph of your piece, ensuring that it is properly lit and in focus.
All writing submissions should be submitted as a WORD or GOOGLE Document, please no PDFs! Entries no longer need a cover sheet, simply fill out the information and upload a photograph of your visual artwork or a PDF of your writing.
Nomination forms for the Youth Activist Grant can be found at the bottom of this page and may also be submitted via the same google form.
Our deadline for submissions is MAY 20th, 2021 @ 11:59PM.
Our judging panel will select A&W winners in the following categories:
- Middle School and High School Grand Prize Winners
- $250 each - for outstanding work, all categories considered
- HS First Prize Winners
- Visual Art: $100
- Creative Writing: $100
- Essay: $100
- Middle School First Prize Winners
- Visual Art: $100
- Creative Writing: $100
- Essay: $100
- HS & Middle School Honorable Mentions
- Winners of this category will have their work and name featured on our website / social media pages.
2019 Youth Activist Grant Awardee, Lucy Siale
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In 2019, the Center established our Youth Activist Grant Award as a way to recognize and honor young people in our community organizing around peace and justice.
We have been inspired by the number of the dedicated and brave students we see taking change into their own hands and speaking truth to power. Youth are showing us the way! We want students to know that they can be powerful instruments of change and that the actions they take can have a huge impact in creating a more just and equitable world for all.
This year, we want to recognize any youth activists (grades 6-12) who have shown remarkable resilience and creativity in adapting their activism to our current moment. We want to hear from the community!
Nomination Forms AVAILABLE BY CLICKING HERE- SAVE AS PDF + Submit via attachment to the link below
Deadline: May 21st via GOOGLE FORMS:
Submit the nomination form to the following link:
tinyurl.com/AWchallenge2021
One winner from Middle School and one winner from High School will be honored with a special award and a $100 grant.
Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center reserves the right to reprint and exhibit all entries.
For more information about the Peace Center, please visit our website at: www.ourpeacecenter.org
or call the Center office: (925) 933-7850
For more information about the Peace Center, please visit our website at: www.ourpeacecenter.org
or call the Center office: (925) 933-7850
