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.