High School Essay Contest – Gandhi
Peace Festival, Hamilton
Deadline for
submission: Friday, September 26, 2008
Purpose
The high school "Write for Peace" contest is held in conjunction with
the annual Gandhi Peace Festival. The aim of the Festival is to heighten
awareness of nonviolence, peace and social justice issues among youth and
to increase the involvement of young people in the festival.
2008 Theme: "Living Gandhi and King Today"
In prose or poetry, address the question below appropriate
to your grade level. If writing a prose essay, the page limit is six.
Grades 9/10:
Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see
in the world." Both he and Martin Luther King Jr. did their best to live
this precept. What would this mean in your life?
Grades 11/12:
Both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
had a vision of what a better world would look like. Gandhi spoke of the
underlying philosophy of “sarvodaya” or responsibility for the welfare of all,
rejecting all forms of violence and exploitation. King, who was influenced by
Gandhi as well as his Christian faith, spoke about the “Beloved Community” as
that ideal community characterized by brotherhood, love and justice that we can
and must build. What aspects of their vision are most meaningful to you?
How would you build a ‘beloved community’ in Hamilton?
Submission Type and Format
Both creative writing (poetry and fiction) and essay submissions will
be accepted. The required length of essay for grades 9 and 10 is 700-900
words, and 900-1100 words for grades 11 and 12. The length for the creative
writing submissions should not exceed 1100 words.
In a cover letter students should include their name, grade, school name, home address, evening phone number, email address and the name and contact of a teacher or principal at their school.
Submissions can be sent as a Microsoft Word document, dropped off/mailed to:
Diana Apostolides
<gandhi.peace.festival.2008@gmail.com>
Gandhi Peace Festival Coordinator 2008
Office
of Interdisciplinary Studies,
Togo
Salmon Hall, Room 724,
McMaster
University,
1280
Main Street West,
Hamilton,
Ontario, L8S 4M2
Submission Due Date Submissions are due by Friday, September 26, 2008
Eligibility Students must be currently enrolled in the same grade in which their submissions will be judged.
Judging and Prizes Students who submit top submissions will be awarded a Certificate of Recognition and a monetary award of $100.00. Top submissions will also be published in the following year's Gandhi Peace Festival Handbook.
Creative writing and essay submissions will be judged separately within their respective grade group (9/10 or 11/12). Students with top submissions will be contacted shortly after the due date. All contestants will be invited to participate in the annual Gandhi Peace Festival where the students with the top submissions will be recognized.