The Hindus for Human Rights, partnering with Dalit Solidarity Forum and Indian American Muslim Council, has organized an Essay and Art Contest on Civil and Human rights for students of grades 6th to 12th who identify as belonging to the broadly defined South Asian diaspora. Students from all religious backgrounds and whose identities intersect in meaningful ways with the nine stated countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, etc. The contest is based on oppressed-caste communities such as Dalits, who continue to face various forms of discrimination, oppression, and social segregation, as well as the United States civil rights movement and ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, and the struggle against caste discrimination and anti-Black racism.
The artwork or essay on the above-mentioned struggles will be judged on the basis of the participant’s understanding of the historical struggles against racism and caste oppression, their case for connecting social justice movements in South Asia and the United States, factual accuracy, and critical analysis, and other factors. The best three entries will be selected as winners, and prizes will be distributed as one winner and two runner-ups; the prize amount for the winner will be $1,000, and for the other two runner-ups will be $500 each. The contest will help students learn about the injustice and discrimination that happened in this world and also will get an opportunity to be aware of others.
The Hindus for Human Rights was founded in June 2019 and is a US-based advocacy organization. Their mission is to advocate for pluralism civil, and human rights in South Asia and North America, rooted in the values of faith: Shanti (peace), Nyaya (justice), and Satya (truth), and they provide a Hindu voice of resistance to caste, Hindutva (Hindu nationalism), racism, and all forms of bigotry and oppression. And vision is a world defined by lokasangraha (the universal common good) where there is peace among all people, and our planet is honored and protected.
Table of Contents
Brief Description
The following data displays short information about the contest:
| Organization | Hindus for Human Rights |
| Education Level | Grades 6th-12th |
| Subjects | Any |
| Amount | $250-$1,000 |
| Access Mode | Online |
| Number of Awards | 3 |
| City | Any |
| Nationality | Domestic and international |
| Country | USA |
| Contest Deadline | March 15, 2022 |
| Application Fees | None |
| Requirements | Varies |
Who is Eligible?
- Students from grades 6th to 12th who identify as belonging to the South Asian diaspora are defined broadly.
- Students from all religious backgrounds are welcome.
- Students whose identities intersect in meaningful ways with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States. This includes members of diaspora whose families hail from the Caribbean, Fiji, Singapore or Malaysia, or countries in Africa, as well as students who identify as multi-racial
- South Asian students in grades 6-12 living outside the United States are welcome if they feel connected to or inspired by the U.S. civil rights struggle and contemporary movements against racism and caste oppression.
How To Apply?
Applicants who find themselves eligible for this contest should first get themselves registered and provide proper information in each field of the form. Students can choose between essay and artwork, each format’s content should describe oppressed-caste communities such as Dalits who continue to face various forms of discrimination, oppression, and social segregation, United States civil rights movement and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, race-based inequities which continues to impact Black communities and other people of color myriad ways, as well as struggles against caste discrimination and anti-Black racism. Students must consider the below details to get their work eligible for this contest.
Essay Formats:
- 700 words minimum, 1,000 words maximum
- Microsoft Word (.docx) document, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font
- No personal identification information may be in the body of the essay
- Citations, if any, must be placed in the end and will not be part of the word count
Artwork format:
- A high-resolution photograph of the artwork
- Eight ½*11 inch or 11*17 inch format
Participants must read the above details carefully and submit their final entry to the official portal link provided below.
Submit here.
Benefits
Participants will be grouped and judged based on grade level (middle school and high school) and will be completely fair as the evaluators will not be able to see the names of contestants. Their work will be judged on the basis of their understanding of the history of struggles against racism and caste oppression, their case for connecting social justice movements in South Asia and the United States, factual accuracy and critical analysis, originality, clarity, and effectiveness of their message, language (grammar, spelling, and composition), and any other criteria that the juror groups may agree upon. On these factors, three prize winners will get selected, one winner will receive an award amount of 1,000, and the other two runner-ups will receive $500 and $250, respectively. And their work might get printed in publications and on public websites. This contest will help students learn about the injustice served and still serving around the world and take lessons from it so that they can apply it to their lives and try to better their community.
Application Deadline
All applicants should complete the registration and submission process no later than March 15, 2022. Submission received after this date will get rejected.
