California Legislators Announce Essay and Visual Arts Scholarships to Raise Awareness of the Armenian Genocide

SACRAMENTO –The California Armenian Legislative Caucus is holding two scholarship contests for the 2022 remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. California high school students from 9th grade through 12th grade are invited to participate in an essay contest and/or a visual arts contest to increase greater awareness of the Armenian Genocide on its anniversary.

All winners will be contacted directly and announced to mainstream and Armenian media by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus on April 15, 2022. All winners will be awarded scholarships and will be acknowledged at the California Armenian Legislative Caucus’ annual Armenian Advocacy Day and receive special recognition from the members of the Armenian Caucus. Original artwork will be requested from visual arts applicants if they are selected as a finalist for possible display in the California State Capitol.

***Due to COVID-19 restrictions, final details will be given closer to the event date.

Criteria for each contest are detailed below. Students may enter both contests, but submissions must be entered separately.

Essay Scholarship Awards:
First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $750
Third Place: $500

Visual Art Scholarship Awards:
First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $750
Third Place: $500

The deadline for all essay and visual arts submissions is April 8, 2022.

Essay Prompt
This year’s writing prompt calls on students to assume that:
1.- They have been hired to work for a still-to-be-constructed Armenian American National Museum, with the museum to be located in Glendale, California.
2.- They have received word from the museum director that one wing of the museum will be entitled Notable Armenian Americans.
3.- They are to share with the director, in the form of an internal memo, one person’s name that should be featured in this wing of the museum and the reason(s) that this name should so be featured.

Visual Arts Prompt
This year’s theme is “Human to Human Interaction.” All applicants must develop their submission in keeping with this theme.

Personal statement (300-500 words) explaining the artwork and how it connects to the theme of human-to-human interaction. In the top left corner, applicant must include: name, age, primary address, high school, grade, teacher’s name and subject (if applicable), phone number, and email address (this information will not count as part of the total word count).

Only two-dimensional, visual art submissions will be accepted. Submission types are limited to drawings, paintings, photographs, digital illustrations, and graphic design.

Submissions may not exceed an 11×17 frame and must weigh less than 25 pounds.

Submissions may not include any nudity, excessive and/or graphic violence, racial slurs, derogatory and/or offensive language, profanity, and may not make use of or replicate existing artwork. All submissions must be original work created by the applicant.

Submission Contents
Email subject, as well as titles of the attached document, must be formatted as follows: “CALC – Student Name – Title of Piece” (e.g. CALC – William Saroyan – The Time of Your Life).

Submissions must include the personal statement and meet the criteria listed.

Submissions must include a high-definition photograph of the artwork, be sure to take a close up picture with enough lighting for the reviewers to see the detail of the work. It is acceptable to submit up to five photos. Be aware of the lighting of the piece and provide different angles to showcase the depth of the artwork.

Submissions must include one recent high-definition photograph of the applicant, suitable for publication (e.g. cap and gown photos, professional headshots, or quality photographs/close-ups of the applicant).

All submissions must be received by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus electronically on or before April 8, 2022 by using this submission form. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.