PeaceIslandsInstitute Art & Essay Contest 2013
*Due to the large number of submissions the winners will be announced 5/14 – please advise
Dear Educators and Students
Peace Islands Institute announces its 4th Annual Art&Essay Contest for the middle and high school students in the State of New Jersey. Since its inception in 2010 PII’s Art & Essay contest for grades 6-12 has reached a prominent number of submissions each year. The board later decided to limit the submissions 5 per teacher per grade, where more than 200 NJ schools are participating. You can see previous Award Ceremonies and winners by visiting our webpage. www.peaceislands.org
Sponsors: PSEG, Star Ledger, Ebru TV
About the Contest:
PII helps to make New Jersey a stronger and more prosperous state by advancing the causes of peace, cross-cultural tolerance and human dignity. PII believes that establishment of dialog environments is a means to appreciate diverse opinions and eliminate the stereotypes often assigned to ‘others’. In this respect the Art and Essay Contest is very instrumental in building bridges between New Jersey communities as well as other segments of the larger society.
To contribute to the improvement of diversity, pluralism and multiculturalism in society, PII organizes the ART & ESSAY CONTEST to instill some of these values among the youth of our state and to give them a forum with various platforms in which they can express their understanding and analysis of these values. The contest’s objective is to make our future leaders aware of social problems at an early age and to think globally.
The contest consists of 2 categories; art and essay, and is made up of 2 participant categories; Middle school (grades 6 through 8), and high school (grades 9 through 12). Each participant can compete in one or both categories listed below. For more information about the contest and the location of the events you can visit PII’s website: www.Peaceislands.org.
Each year we have a different theme. This year’s theme is: Cyber Bullying: Coping with the Electronic Realm; be heard, organize, achieve
Definition of the theme and Brainstorming worksheet:
When planning your submission(s), it is important to think about the theme, “Cyber Bullying; Coping with the Electronic Realm; be heard, organize, achieve” in many different ways.
In other words, try to think about the following …
- The internet has a lot of awesome places to be and at the same time, there are places where nobody should be.
- Technology (social media) could ruin people’s lives, and we should realize the power of that.
- What is being safe on the internet?
- How to balance technology in our lives without banning it.
- Why do individuals Cyber Bully?
- What are the outcomes of being Cyber Bullied?
- What could be done to prevent Cyber Bullying?
- How I would help someone I know who is being Cyber Bullied?
- How would I react to someone who is Cyber Bullying?
- How can we mobilize people around us to come together to stand against cyber bullying?
- What role can parents and school officials play to prevent Cyber Bullying?
- What more could the state of New Jersey and law makers do to prevent Cyber Bullying?
The theme of “Cyber Bullying?” means much more than you think. When composing your work, feel free to be creative. Just remember you want to create a work that makes the reader think and realize the theme and why it is important to consider it in today’s global context.
Who can participate:
Students at grades 6-12 from the State of New Jersey can enter the contest. Each student may submit only one work in each category.
Important Dates:
1. The participants have to send their works by May 3rd 2013.
2. The names of winners will be announced on May 14th 2013.
3. The awards ceremony time and venue will be announced soon.
Categories
1. Essay
2. Visual Art
Prizes for each category
Grades 9 through 12:
1. First Place – $750
2. Second Place – $600
3. Third Place – $400
4. 5 mentions: $100 each.
Grades 6 through 8:
1. First Place – $500
2. Second Place – $400
3. Third Place – $300
4. 5 mentions: $100 each.
Award Ceremony Venue
Exact address will be announced later.
Contest Categories
1. Essay Contest
a. The participants have to send their essays via mail by May 3rd 2013.
b. Essays must be original, unpublished, and written by one student.
c. Each student may submit only one (1) essay.
d. We ask teachers to sponsor students and guide them. We also ask them to mail essays on students’ behalf. Each sponsoring teacher may not submit more than five (5) essays per grade in total.
e. Each essay should be no more than 1000 words.
f. Each essay should be written in Times New Roman font, size 12, and should not have any images in the document.
g. Essays may be one of the following types:
Informative Essay
Narrative Story
True Story
h. The top three places and five mentions for each category of participants will have their names published on the PII website on May 10th 2013 and will receive their prizes at the award ceremony.
Each submission will be judged on the basis of following criteria: Grammar, uniqueness of the piece, understanding of the topic and its implementation in the piece, the style of writing and the flow of the piece and how the essay addresses the issue of the theme and approaches to solving world and community problems related to theme.
i. Each submission must include:
– Name
– Grade
– School
– Sponsoring Teacher’s Name
– Sponsoring Teacher’s E-mail
j. Participants consent to their work being used and copied by Peace Islands Institute for promotional and/or informational purposes.
k. Please note that submission by person is not acceptable. We ask sponsoring teacher to either mail or Email all essays he/she sponsored in one envelope.
2. Visual Art Contest
a. The participants have to mail their arts by May 3rd 2013.
b. The names of prize winners will be announced on the IDC website on May 10th 2013.
c. Works of art that are ranked in the top 15 will be displayed during the award ceremony.
d. Participants may submit entries utilizing any medium in a 2-D format. Drawing, watercolor, oil paint, acrylic paint, collage, mixed media accepted. (No sculpture or photograph, please).
e. Submissions may be one of the following sizes: 16”X16, 16”X12 or 17”X11”
f. A jury of art professionals will judge the submitted works on the basis of the following:
-Uniqueness of composition
-Creative/expressive use of materials
-Artistry of execution
-Integration of medium and message (overall impact of the visual idea)
g. Each submission must have on the back of it your:
– Name
– Grade
– School
– Sponsoring Teacher’s Name
– Sponsoring Teacher’s E-mail
h. Participants consent to their artwork being used and copied by Peace Islands Institute for promotional and/or informational purposes.
i. No artwork will be returned to students.
j. Participants consent to their work being used and copied by Peace Islands Institute for promotional and/or informational purposes.
Announcements:
1. All Future announcements may be found on www.PeaceIslands.org/
2. All rights of submissions sent belong to PII.
3. Each winner is responsible for his/her own transportation to the ceremony place.
4. Check (awards) will be made payable to parents or legal guardians.
Contact Information
Peace Islands Institute
17 Academy St. Suite 701
Newark, NJ 07102
Ph: 973-353-9333
Fax: 973-353-9331
Email: infonj@peaceislands.org
FAQ:
1) Are photographs allowed for the Art category? No, they are not allowed.
2) We are working on a mural and we would like to submit that but obviously it belongs to more than 1 student. Is this a problem? No, unfortunately we cannot accept murals.
3) Are schools outside New Jersey allowed to participate? No, the contest is for all Middle and High School located only in New Jersey.
4) If I’m not able to make it to the Award Ceremony, what will happen to my prize? You may pick it up from the PII’s office located in Newark, or we could mail it to you.
