Right to Democracy cofounders Adi Martinez-Roman, left, and Neil Weare at a press conference on Saipan in August.
ACTIVIST group Right to Democracy is sponsoring an art contest open to youths aged 12-17 in the U.S. Territories.
The Express Yourself Contest offers cash prizes to residents of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the CNMI, and Puerto Rico. Participants should “have a connection to or reside in” one of the territories.
First place is $500; second place is $250; and third place is $100. The contest deadline is Nov. 30.
Former Rep. Sheila Babauta, who has previously partnered with Right to Democracy for outreach events on Saipan, said three works of art from each U.S. territory will be selected as top entries. CNMI youth artists will be competing against other CNMI youth artists for the prizes.
The artwork from across the territories will then be shared on Right to Democracy online platforms.
According to a media release, Right to Democracy is seeking “passionate young individuals” who are “eager to convey their understanding of democracy through visual arts and spoken word.”
“Inspiration questions” include: How does democracy relate to my rights? What first springs to mind with the word “democracy?” How does democracy influence life in your community? Imagine a world without democracy — what does that look like to you?
For visual arts, contestants are open to create drawings, paintings, photos, or digital art. The work should showcase the contestant’s opinion on democracy through visual media.
Students can create visual art in whatever medium they prefer, but for the contest they should send pictures of the artwork via email. Students should send photos in jpeg with a maximum size of 1080×1080 pixels. Students are encouraged to send more than one photo in their submission.
Alternatively, contestants may submit a spoken word poetic piece, or compose a song. Contest guidelines say the poem or song should be a maximum of 60 seconds. Videos should be recorded in landscape and saved in mp4 or wav format. Organizers “highly encourage” attaching lyrics or text of the piece in a pdf.
Submissions should be sent to artscompetition@righttodemocracy.us/.
Along with submissions, students are asked to also include their name, email address, phone number, name of territory they are from, and a brief text explaining or reflecting on the art.
Organizers said the goal of the contest is to “[nurture] a space that highlights the importance of identifying common goals and self-determination mechanisms.”
“We’re excited to learn more about the perspectives of our young people,” says Neil Weare, co-president of Right to Democracy. “I’ve been having conversations around democracy for a long time and it’s really refreshing to engage fresh voices in such unique ways. Art is a catalyst for transformation!”
Organization co-founder Adi Martinez-Roman said she believes the youth have important ideas to share.
“Many of us generalize the idea that young people don’t understand or have nothing to say about important matters, but my experience engaging youth in community dialogues has already proved otherwise,” she said. “We look forward to amplifying their voices through art and promoting more spaces where people residing in the territories can learn more about each other.”
