Madonna University announces MLK 2020 essay & photo contest prompts
By Marcela Beltrao Teixeira
mteixeira@my.madonna.edu
Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life for racial equality in the United States. Through nonviolent protests, he passed on his message of civil rights for all. To this day, we honor his legacy on the third Monday of every January, a holiday known as Martin Luther King Day.
To honor Dr. King’s legacy and history, Madonna University, alongside the City of Livonia Human Relations Commission, is offering a photo and essay contest to all Madonna University currently enrolled students.
“The idea behind the contests steams from the special responsibility we hold in commemorating and celebrating the life, sacrifice and legacy of Dr. King,” said Claire Ofiara, program director of Mosaic Leadership Academy. “These contests are part of our celebration that will cascade to our celebration of Black History month in February. By having these contests, we examine Dr. King’s life of social activism and intellectual work as they relate to the challenge of racial reconciliation.”
The photo and essay contest are separate, but students can submit their work for both. For the diversity photo contest, the student must submit an authorial work. The photo needs to represent the ideals highlighted in the Madonna Diversity and Inclusion statement.
The complete statement can be found in the same website where students ought to submit their work by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 13, 2020. The website for submission is madonna.edu/MLKphoto.
To ensure eligibility, all entries should be submitted in the highest quality photo possible – ideally, 300 dpi (2550 pixels wide by 3300 pixels tall). The minimum quality should be 150 dpi (1275 pixels wide by 1650 pixels tall). The favored image format is JPEG.
All submitted entries, including the three winning images, will be displayed at Madonna University (the specific location will be announced later). The first prize for the photo contest will win a $350 gift card, the second prize will be a $100 gift card, and the third place will go home with a $50 gift card.
“Photography is all about emotion. If you can capture the emotion of the moment into the image, you will be able to translate whatever message you want to pass to those viewing your work,” said Issey Ito, a Graphic Design major.
Students who chose to enter the essay contest must answer the following question in their authorial work:
“On the south wall in D.C. at the MLK Monument, these words are written: “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle of equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, and finer world to live in.” MLK spoke these words at the March for Integrated Schools, April 18, 1959. What do these words mean to you? How will you live them out?"
The essay must have a 1200 to 1500 word limit, must be written in 12-point font, Times New Roman, and double spaced with 1-inch margins. The work needs to be submitted by Monday, January 13, 2020 on madonna.edu/MLKessay. It is highly recommended that contestants utilize the MU Writing Center.
“The tips that I would give to help students who are thinking about writing an essay for the context would be to think about what the quote means first. Once they know what the quote means, it is easier to understand the relevancy of this text to the time of MLK,” said Amanda Akers, a MU Writing Center tutor. “I would also suggest breaking the quote down, and asking the student what "humanity", "noble”, and "equal rights" means to them. The same goes for the sentence referring to themselves. This will help them to attach themselves to the quote personally.”
The winner of the essay contest will go home with a $500 prize. The winner will also be asked to read the winning essay at the Martin Luther King Celebration held at Madonna University.
The winners from both contest will be announced on Monday, January 20, 2020, at the Martin Luther King Celebration at Madonna University. The celebration will occur from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Kresge Hall.
In case of any further doubts, questions, or concerns, students should contact Claire Ofiara at cofiara@my.madonna.edu.
mteixeira@my.madonna.edu
Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life for racial equality in the United States. Through nonviolent protests, he passed on his message of civil rights for all. To this day, we honor his legacy on the third Monday of every January, a holiday known as Martin Luther King Day.
To honor Dr. King’s legacy and history, Madonna University, alongside the City of Livonia Human Relations Commission, is offering a photo and essay contest to all Madonna University currently enrolled students.
“The idea behind the contests steams from the special responsibility we hold in commemorating and celebrating the life, sacrifice and legacy of Dr. King,” said Claire Ofiara, program director of Mosaic Leadership Academy. “These contests are part of our celebration that will cascade to our celebration of Black History month in February. By having these contests, we examine Dr. King’s life of social activism and intellectual work as they relate to the challenge of racial reconciliation.”
The photo and essay contest are separate, but students can submit their work for both. For the diversity photo contest, the student must submit an authorial work. The photo needs to represent the ideals highlighted in the Madonna Diversity and Inclusion statement.
The complete statement can be found in the same website where students ought to submit their work by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 13, 2020. The website for submission is madonna.edu/MLKphoto.
To ensure eligibility, all entries should be submitted in the highest quality photo possible – ideally, 300 dpi (2550 pixels wide by 3300 pixels tall). The minimum quality should be 150 dpi (1275 pixels wide by 1650 pixels tall). The favored image format is JPEG.
All submitted entries, including the three winning images, will be displayed at Madonna University (the specific location will be announced later). The first prize for the photo contest will win a $350 gift card, the second prize will be a $100 gift card, and the third place will go home with a $50 gift card.
“Photography is all about emotion. If you can capture the emotion of the moment into the image, you will be able to translate whatever message you want to pass to those viewing your work,” said Issey Ito, a Graphic Design major.
Students who chose to enter the essay contest must answer the following question in their authorial work:
“On the south wall in D.C. at the MLK Monument, these words are written: “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle of equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, and finer world to live in.” MLK spoke these words at the March for Integrated Schools, April 18, 1959. What do these words mean to you? How will you live them out?"
The essay must have a 1200 to 1500 word limit, must be written in 12-point font, Times New Roman, and double spaced with 1-inch margins. The work needs to be submitted by Monday, January 13, 2020 on madonna.edu/MLKessay. It is highly recommended that contestants utilize the MU Writing Center.
“The tips that I would give to help students who are thinking about writing an essay for the context would be to think about what the quote means first. Once they know what the quote means, it is easier to understand the relevancy of this text to the time of MLK,” said Amanda Akers, a MU Writing Center tutor. “I would also suggest breaking the quote down, and asking the student what "humanity", "noble”, and "equal rights" means to them. The same goes for the sentence referring to themselves. This will help them to attach themselves to the quote personally.”
The winner of the essay contest will go home with a $500 prize. The winner will also be asked to read the winning essay at the Martin Luther King Celebration held at Madonna University.
The winners from both contest will be announced on Monday, January 20, 2020, at the Martin Luther King Celebration at Madonna University. The celebration will occur from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Kresge Hall.
In case of any further doubts, questions, or concerns, students should contact Claire Ofiara at cofiara@my.madonna.edu.
