AAPI Student Scholarship Contest and Exhibition
in partnership with MemorialCare
and Dear Asian Americans
Extended submissions deadline - March 18
Your path to success includes not just your academic advancement, but also the mental wherewithal to get there. We considered everything from your day-to-day challenges to the outsize stressors of applying to college — not to mention the social unrest, hate crimes, and climate anxiety bubbling around us impacting our Asian American community. Taking a cue from what so many of you are bravely and productively discussing on social media, we landed on the theme of Mental-Health Wellbeing.
There are some very serious statistics underscoring the need to discuss mental-health wellbeing in the Asian-American community. We can change this. And it starts with self-expression.
Your submissions should connect your Asian American identity and culture, while considering questions such as:
How do you talk to your family and friends about mental health? What do you do, or where do you go, to nurture mental-health wellbeing?
What is your own mental-health wellbeing path?
What does an action plan, to help the AAPI community better embrace mental-health wellbeing, look like?
Perspective and insight are everything. We are an inclusive organization that celebrates diversity and differences.
For more background and description of the contest, please click here.
Categories
First-Person Non-Fiction
(Essay, Poem, Spoken-Word Video, or Song with Lyrics)
Must be an original work, created by one individual (ie no group submissions)
We encourage you to title your submission.
No more than 900 words (if written) or 5 minutes (if a video or song)
Can be submitted as a typed essay 8.5 x 11 format on .jpg or .pdf; 300 dpi minimum size and resolution) or video (.mov or .mp4)
Visual Art
(Illustration/Painting, Mixed Media, Photography, Sculpture, Video)
Must be an original work, created by one individual (ie no group submissions)
We encourage you to title your submission.
Can be submitted as a video (.mov or .mp4) or photo (.jpg or .pdf; 300 dpi minimum size and resolution)
Can be digital or analog art (8.5 x 11 format)
Must be submitted with either a written or verbal explanation that's no more than 250 words (if written) or 5 minutes (if verbal)
Eligibility
You must be in high school, currently enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade
You must identify as Asian-American
Your submission must be in English or translated into English
Only one submission total per person (ie no multiple submissions permitted)
How to Submit:
Visit our Instagram page @makenoisetoday
Follow Us*
Submit your story below (Submission deadline extended to March 18, 2023)
Contest winners will be contacted via Instagram DM by April 21.
*You must follow @makenoisetoday on Instagram to enter the contest. (The submission form will ask you to confirm your Instagram handle.) Submissions by students that do not follow @makenoisetoday will not be included as part of the contest and exhibition.
Judging Rubric
Our judging panel is inclusive, diverse, and includes educators, writers, activists, and artists.
Creativity:
Originality in your approach to the theme and presentation.
Voice:
Your work that is presented in a way that creates intrigue and captures meaningful experiences through nuanced content and presentation.
Uniqueness of Ideas:
You’re presenting original concepts which provoke thought and conversation, while taking us on an authentic journey.
The Prize
There will be several winners:
Platinum Prize ($5,000): 1 winner
Gold Prize ($1,000 each): 2 winners
Silver Prize ($500 each): 3 winners
Honorable Mention ($375 each): 4 winners
Additionally, select submissions will be showcased as part of an in-person Bring the Noise student exhibition. Hosted by the Billie Jean King Main Library in Long Beach, Calif., this exhibition will kick-off Asian American Pacific Heritage Month on May 4, 2023. You can check out last year’s exhibition and launch event, which garnered press coverage.
Make Noise Today is awarding contest money to the winners as scholarship funds. The prize is intended to help fund tuition, housing, or school supplies.
