Art Contest Rules
- To learn about actual ways in which poor people are ending poverty by working together in their local communities.
- To reflect on Catholic social teaching on poverty and the Gospel call to put our faith in action.
- To develop original artwork focused on the contest theme, with a special emphasis on how low-income people are developing long-term solutions that can break the cycle of poverty.
- Because the contest intends to educate not just about the reality of poverty but also about the work of CCHD and its funded groups, all entrants must have some interaction with a CCHD-funded group as a requirement for entering the contest. This interaction can take the form of a visit to a group site, listening to a speaker from a group at a school, parish, or other location, or watching a video about a funded group. Contact your CCHD diocesan director for a list of CCHD-funded groups in your area.
- All youth in grades 7-12 attending Catholic parishes and/or Catholic schools, as well as Catholic youth attending public schools, are eligible. Team entries are welcome. Artwork will be entered in two age categories: 7-9th grade and 10-12th grade.
- Each entry must be the original work of the student or team of students submitting the artwork. It may not contain copyrighted material or material produced by someone besides the entrant, such as popular songs, magazine cutouts, photographs, music videos, etc., unless written permission has been granted for its use. Entrant must submit a copy of the written permission to use the material with the entry. Use of copyrighted material without permission automatically disqualifies the entry.
- Use of any inappropriate language will automatically disqualify the entry.
- Art work can be of many forms:
Audio-visual (i.e., music, video, website, Power Point, combination of audio & visual) Literature (i.e., poetry, prose, drama, short story, essay) Visual arts (i.e., painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, collage, sculpture)
- Please attach the completed Official Entry Form and the Agreement for Submission of Artwork securely to the back of the artwork with one strip of tape along the top of the page.
- Entry to this contest results in the automatic submission to the rules and the decisions of the judges and CCHD. The copyright to all entries will belong to USCCB/CCHD. The artist's name and art may be used in any promotions, publications, or exhibitions carried out by CCHD. Entries will not be returned.
Audio: Entry must not exceed ten minutes. A CD, DVD, or tape of the artwork must be submitted. For music entries, manuscript/lyrics must be included in submission.
Video and Power Point: Entry must not exceed 10 minutes. For videos, a list of the names of all people who appear in the video must be included.
Website: This entry must serve a functional purpose.. The website address should be included on the entry form.
Please note: Entries must not include any copyrighted material (or material produced by a third party, such as pictures or music) other than the entrant’s own work unless permission has been granted by the author, in which case documentation of that permission must be included with the entry form.
(i.e., poetry, prose, short story, drama, essay)
- Entries accepted in this category can be fiction or non-fiction. All non-fiction entries must include standard citations and a bibliography.
- Entries, not to exceed 2,000 words, must be written in English and submitted on one side only of 8 ½ x 11 inch paper. Pages should be numbered, typed or neatly written, with the student's name written on the back of each page. All work including typing, page layout, and formatting must be completed by the contestant(s).
- Entries are expected to reflect grade-appropriate grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
(i.e., painting, drawing, prints, photography, sculpture)
- The work must be mounted on a sturdy mat board, foam coreboard, cardboard, or poster board that is suitable for display. Entries can be no larger than 24 x 36 inches.
- Do not laminate entries. No picture frames, slides or transparencies accepted.
Please note: Entries must not include any copyrighted material (or material produced by a third party, such as pictures or photographs) other than the entrant’s own work unless permission has been granted by the author, in which case documentation of that permission must be included with the entry form.
- Contestants will submit their artwork to their participating Parish or School, which will then conduct the judging at the local level and submit the winning entry to the diocesan CCHD office.
- The CCHD diocesan office will promote the contest and oversee the judging of artwork. Up to two diocesan contest winners (one per age category) will be selected and the submission(s) subsequently will be sent to the CCHD national office for judging.
- Contestants from dioceses that are not taking part in the contest due to a diocesan director vacancy or some other issue are still allowed to participate. Contact Jill Rauh at the CCHD national office for more information.
- The National CCHD office will select contest winners.
- The National Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 cash award and a $500 gift to be designated in the winner's name to a CCHD-funded project. The grand prize winner will be awarded this prize at a national conference, with all expenses paid for the winner and an accompanying adult to attend the awards ceremony.
- The National Second Place winner will receive a $375 cash award and a $375 gift to be designated in the winner's name to a CCHD-funded project.
- A Third Place winner and honorable mentions may also be awarded if appropriate.
Entries will be judged on their ability to clearly and creatively communicate the contest theme. The 2009 theme is “Empowered People Can Uproot Poverty in their Communities.” The ideal entry will:
- Exhibit an understanding of the root causes of poverty, not just the symptoms. It should be clear that the artists know the difference between charity and justice. While CCHD recognizes the importance of charity, it seeks to support groups engaged in work for justice—those affecting long-lasting change to unjust structures.
- Portray the poor as empowered persons capable of leading efforts for change in community, as opposed to portraying the poor as victims.
- Illustrate that acting with empowered poor persons who are working for long-term change is a response to our faith and the values of Catholic social teaching.
- Show a clear understanding of CCHD’s work and mission.
- Reflect both the thoughtfulness and the creative skills of the artist.
Materials are available for Young Persons and for Adults working with young persons to help you understand CCHD’s work and mission and to develop an understanding of the difference between charity and justice.