High School Students aged 14 – 18 years are invited to enter our annual competition in its 19th year. Cash prizes are available for top 6 submissions in Poetry and Visual Art. Deadline is Monday, August 11, noon.
This Year’s Slogan: Dictate Your Fate. No Fear. No Hate. How can we overcome abuse of power that fuels hate? How can we foster an environment for open discussion on political, racial, and economic justice without fear?
Contest Details:
Open To: All who can be moved to fight injustice, hate, and discrimination. All art must be original. No AI.
Categories:
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Poetry: Original works of poetry.
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Visual Art: Paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, digital art, photography, poetry, prose, short film.
- All forms are accepted: abstract, portrait, landscape, still life.
- Submitted artwork must be original in both categories of visual art or poetry, but only be eligible to win in ONE category.
Awards for Poetry and Visual Art (Each Category):
- First Place: $500
- Second Place: $400
- Third Place: $300
- Fourth Place: $200
- Fifth Place: $100
Submission Guidelines:
Videos (including animations):
- Must have a minimum length of 1 minute and a maximum of 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
- Must be submitted in MP4 or MOV.
Visual Art:
- Minimum: 11″ H x 14″ W.
- Maximum: 16″ H x 20″ W.
Poetry & Prose:
- Must be 50-200 words.
- Can be performed, must submit via video (refer to Video section).
- Visual poetry must be an 8.5″ x 11″ or 11″ x 17″ in size, poster paper.
3D Artworks:
- Minimum: 4″ H x 4″ W x 4″ D.
- Maximum: 24″ H x 20″ W x 20″ D.
Digital Works:
- JPG, TIF, PNG, PSD, PDF, TIFF for high-resolution artworks.
- Digital works and photographs must be sent electronically.
- Photographs must have a story or be submitted in a portfolio with a series of photos detailing a story.
Confidentiality:
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Artists must be able to attend the opening of the exhibit at 127 Walker Street on Thursday, August 14th from 5-8PM.
Important Dates & Locations:
Submission Due By: Monday, August 11th, Noon.
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Video and digital submissions should be sent to: oca.nyart2025@gmail.com with the subject “2025 HCRAP.”
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Physical works must be dropped off at one of the locations/times below:
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Manhattan – Immigrant Social Services:
- 107 Suffolk Street, between Manhattan 10013
- Time: Thursday, August 7th, 1 PM – 5 PM
- Saturday, August 9th, 10 AM – 5 PM
- Monday, August 11th, 10 AM – noon
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Queens – Minkwon Center for Community Action:
- 133-29 41st Ave. Suite 202, Queens, NY 11355
- Time: Thursday, August 7th, 10 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday, August 9th, 10 AM – 5 PM
- Monday, August 11th, 10 AM – noon
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Brooklyn – Raising Health
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Declaration of Consent:
By submitting work, each artist agrees that the submitted work is an original piece created by them and understands that their artwork belongs to OCA-NY. OCA-NY may use artwork not returned to the artist for fundraising for the Hate Crimes Prevention Art Project.
Contact:
For any questions, please contact: oca.nyart2025@gmail.com
