2013 Literary & Video Contest
New Jersey resident students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to participate in our efforts to keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy alive by entering the 2013 King Day Celebration literary and video contest. The deadline for submission is Friday, December 7, 2012. Contest winners and their families are encouraged to attend the King Day Celebration on January 21, 2013, where winners will be recognized for their achievements and awarded significant prizes. The submissions of all contest participants help contribute greatly to our community’s understanding of Dr. King’s life and legacy.
Recognizing the inherent value in respecting and valuing individuals for who they are, students should identify a personal characteristic or trait which might cause some to make assumptions and others to feel isolated, and propose ways in which individuals can take action to overcome differences and foster inclusion. In the fashion of Dr. King, the submission should pose hard questions as well as provide solutions.
Winning entries will be judged on a variety of factors including message, creativity, originality, accuracy, and inclusion of Dr. King and/or the messages for which he stood.
Contest instructions
Contests are open only to New Jersey resident students. Students may not use copyrighted material without proper permission and citation.
Entries must be delivered either electronically to MLKentry@princeton.edu or to the Office of Human Resources, 2 New South, with completed entry form, by 4 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2012. For more information or clarification, please call Felicia Edwards at (609) 258-7801. Please note that it is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that the entry has been received.
Students must attach (staple preferred) the 2013 MLK contest submission form (which may be photocopied or downloaded from www.princeton.edu/mlk/ ) to their entry and may submit only one entry per individual. The form must be typed or neatly handwritten; illegible forms will result in disqualification. In the Literary and Video Contest, we will award one first-place prize of $100; one second-place prize of $75; and one third-place prize of $50 (e.g., one $100 prize for the best literary or video entry submitted from a 7th or 8th grader, etc.) per grade grouping. Honorable mentions will also be awarded (no monetary prizes will be given for this designation). Award winners will need to provide their Social Security numbers for prize payment. In keeping with Dr. King’s message of inclusiveness, social and racial justice, and respect for the dignity of others, submissions that include profanity and/or language inconsistent with Dr. King’s philosophy will be disqualified.
Submissions will not be returned unless self-addressed stamped envelopes are included with requests for returned materials. Submissions may also be picked up immediately following the King Day Celebration on Jan. 21, 2013.
Additional rules for literary arts entries: Each entrant (grades 7/8, 9/10, 11/12) must incorporate Dr. King’s philosophy and principles of equity, justice and/or peace into an original composition [e.g., an essay, poem, blog or journal entry] that identifies a characteristic or trait which might cause some to make assumptions and others to feel isolated, and propose ways in which individuals can take action to overcome differences and foster inclusion. Each submission must be double-spaced, typed or handwritten, containing no more than 1,000 words. Entries that are illegible and/or unduly long will be disqualified. Pages must be single-sided and numbered, with the student’s name written on the back of each page and not the front. Entries that the judges deem as plagiarized or otherwise infringing upon copyright protected material will be disqualified.
Additional rules for video entries: Each entrant (grades 7/8, 9/10, 11/12) must incorporate Dr. King’s philosophy and principles of equity, justice and/or peace into an original VHS, DVD or PowerPoint presentation [e.g., a news story, documentary short film, or public service announcement] that identifies a characteristic or trait which might cause some to make assumptions and others to feel isolated, and propose ways in which individuals can take action to overcome differences and foster inclusion. Video submissions should last between two and seven minutes. Entrants’ names and contact information must be attached to the actual submission. If the submission is created using non-standard software, a means of loading the software must also be submitted so that the entry can be viewed. Submissions that malfunction or are too long will be disqualified. If you have questions about equipment or playback, please email MLKentry@princeton.edu. Entries that the judges deem as plagiarized or otherwise infringing upon copyright protected material will be disqualified.
Thank you for your participation and for ensuring that guidelines are followed. We look forward to reviewing the submissions.
2012 Literary & Video Contest
The 2012 winners of the literary and video contests were announced in early January, and were honored at the Jan. 16 celebration. A full list of winners is available online.