CONTEST DETAILS

About the Contest

Share Your Story is a mental health multimedia competition sponsored by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) and Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) and run by Project Bridge, a group of teens with a passion for mental health issues. The competition is open to all English-speaking teens ages 13-18 residing in the United States and U.S. territories. The competition is an opportunity to share your mental health struggles without shame or fear of judgment. Although winners will receive a hefty cash prize, the ultimate goal is to foster understanding, trust, inclusion, and connectedness between teens, as well as to break down stigma and challenge harmful stereotypes.

How To Enter

Navigate to the submission link, and upload your work

Make sure to use your email when you submit it!
Alternatively, if the link doesn’t work, navigate to our website, and click on the “Our Contest” page in the upper corner. Scroll down until you see a big blue “Submit Here” button. That should lead you to the submission form.
If you have any complications, comments, questions, or concerns, email us at projectbridge22@gmail.com

Winning submissions will be featured on the website.

Participants may choose whether or not to stay anonymous if their submission is featured.

Eligibility

All English-speaking teens age 13-18 residing in the United States and its overseas territories. Participants must be of at least 13 years of age and no more than 18 years of age by the competition deadline (July 24th, 2022).

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All submissions must be in English (or with English subtitles/ translation) and they must be respectful and appropriate for the age bracket. Submissions that are dark, insensitive, or inappropriate will be disqualified. Additionally, participants may submit no more than 3 entries total; additional entries will not be considered. If you would like to submit 2-3 entries, you may not submit each entry at different times. Instead, you will have to edit your response after you submit it to add all of your desired entries.

Specific requirements for each category:

Writing (short essay, poem, etc)

Must be in .docx or .pdf format
Must not exceed 1000 words
Font style: Times New Roman or equivalent
Font size: 12pt
Font color: black
Spacing: Double (2.0)
Only dark, legible text will be reviewed (no images, decorations, or embedded videos)

Visual Arts (drawing, photograph, video, etc)

Drawings and photographs
- Must be in .jpg or .png format
- Hand drawings, sculptures, and other forms of traditional art must be photographed in sufficient lighting
- Photographs may be edited
Videos
- Must be submitted as an unlisted YouTube link
- Must not exceed 20 minutes
- Resolution must be at least 360p

Audio (songs, podcasts, etc)

Must be in .mp3 format
File size must not exceed 25 MB
Audio length must not exceed 20 minutes
Songs may be edited

JUDGING

All submissions will be reviewed based on the criteria below. Each factor will be graded on a 10 point scale, with the highest score possible totaling 60 points.

Personalized

(the submission evinces the author's personal experience)

Organization

(the submission is easy to follow and has a clear structure)

Creativity

(the submission is the author’s own original work and is unique)

Thoughtfulness

(the submission reflects the author’s best

quality work)

Clarity

(the submission has a common theme and ideas are well expressed)

Impact

(the submission is inspiring or emotionally

moving)

Prizes

Each category (Writing, Visual Arts, Audio)

will have a first, second, and third place winner.

1st place: $100 Amazon Gift Card
2nd place: $50 Amazon Gift Card
3rd place: $25 Amazon Gift Card

FAQs

Is it possible to submit multiple entries in one category or submit entries in every category?
- Yes, it is possible to submit more than one entry in a category or submit an entry in every category. However, the maximum amount of entries one can submit is 3 pieces of work.
Can we use other work as inspiration for our own entries?
- Although the use of other work as inspiration for a submission is allowed, plagiarism or remarkable similarity to another’s work will not be tolerated, and could lead to the immediate disqualification of the entry.
If I submit an entry in all 3 categories, can I discuss the same topic/personal mental health story?
- Absolutely! While it is okay to discuss the same topic in each category, we encourage you to present each submission with creativity.
Even if I don’t win, can my submission still be posted on the website?
- Yes! Just notify us in the additional comments section of the submission form that you want your work to be featured on our page no matter the outcome.
Is it possible to change my decision about my submission being posted on the website after I submit the entry?
- If your submission is posted on our website, or you previously opted in or out of it on the submission page and would like to change your mind, you can email us at projectbridge22@gmail.com and we will be happy to accommodate your preference!
Can I edit my entry after I already submitted it?
- Yes, however submissions after the deadline for our competition will NOT be accepted.
Do you accept simultaneous submissions/works that are original but already published elsewhere (another competition, school website, etc)?
- Yes, as long as the other publications also permit simultaneous submissions and publications.
Is there a limit on how many people can work on a submission?
- For Writing submissions, entries are strictly limited to one person. For Audio submissions, entries may have up to 3 people per entry. For Visual Arts submissions, only 1 person is allowed to submit an entry, however, if the submission comes in the form of a video, up to 3 people will be allowed to submit it. Project Bridge and its sponsors will distribute prize money to the group if the submission places in the top three, however it is up to the authors to decide how the money will be dispensed among themselves.
If multiple people work on a submission, does everyone need to submit?
- No, only 1 person needs to submit. Just make sure to include all the contact information for your team members and give them credit.

Proudly sponsored by:

Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC)

Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA)