20th Annual Bill of Rights
Art and Essay Contest, 2003-2004

for Students in Grades 7 through 12

TOPIC:  Should the government stop collecting and using information on race, color, ethnicity, or national origin?

Four 1st prizes of $150		Four 3rd prizes of $50
Four 2nd prizes of $100		Plus Certificates of Merit
Prizes awarded for art and essay, high school and middle school, winning entries.

These topics continue to be the subject of many controversial decisions by the Courts. Read background information on the law and opinions on both sides of each issue that should be helpful in developing the essay or work of art.

• A jury of qualified educators and artists will select the winners.
• Essays will be judged for content and for style.
• Judging criteria for works of art will include:
  • Theme - work that reflects the student's own feelings about the issue;
  • Execution - creative excellence in the execution of the work; and
  • Emotional content - work that is evocative and moves the spirit or the heart.

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CONTEST RULES

• Any student in grades 7 through 12 in a Monterey County public or private school is eligible.
   
• All entries must include the student's name, address, and telephone number, the school, the grade, and the teacher's name.
   
• Essays:
  • Must be typed or legibly written on one side of 8½" x 11" sheets of paper.
  • Essays by 7th and 8th grade students are limited to a maximum of 750 words.
  • Essays by 9th through 12th grade students are limited to a maximum of 1250 words.
  
  
• Visual Arts:
  • Must be ready for display
  • May include painting, photography, hand and computer rendered images, or drawings.
  • Maximum size when matted or framed is 24" x 36".
  
  
• Students may ask their teachers or parents for advice, but each essay or work of art must be exclusively the work of the student.
   
• Entries must be submitted by December 1, 2003, to
  • Essays -- ACLU Monterey County, P.O. Box 1112, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
  • Art -- Youth Arts Collective, 550 Hartnell Street, Monterey, CA 93940
  
  

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Winners of the contest will be presented with their prizes and works of art will be exhibited at the January 2004 ACLU Annual Membership Meeting at the Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific Street, Monterey. Copies of the first prize essays will be available at the meeting.

Names of the winners will be published in the Monterey County Herald and submitted to the Monterey County Office of Education, which may contribute to students' qualifications towards scholarships.

For more information, see background information on the topic.

Additional information is also available for educators.