The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops invites young people in grades 7-12 to participate in an annual art contest exploring the root causes of poverty and the Church’s response to it.
This year’s Creating on the Margins art contest has the theme of “A Time to Heal Racism.” Participants will learn about how racism has contributed to social inequalities; what Catholic social teaching says about prejudice; and how different Catholic groups are working to address racism. Then, they’ll create an artwork to share what they’ve learned with others. The art can be in any medium, like a video, a painting, music, drama, poetry, etc. There is also an essay component, with participants writing about responses to racism and how their artwork relates to the theme.
Entries will be submitted at a diocesan level and judged locally, with the top entries being sent to the national contest for a final round of judging. The national grand prize winner receives $500, a matching grant to an anti-poverty organization funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and a trip to a national conference. Second- and third-place prizes might also be awarded. Last year’s national winner was Lana Chalfoun, a student at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic School right here in the Diocese of Grand Rapids!
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Full contest rules and details are available at www.usccb.org/youthcontest. Local entries are due by March 7. They should be submitted to Maggie Walsh, mwalsh@ccwestmi.org, at Catholic Charities West Michigan, 40 Jefferson SE, Grand Rapids. Questions may also be directed to her.