Theme: Current
The theme for our inaugural contest is “current.” There are many ways to interpret this theme, and that is by design! This is an opportunity to get creative—you could write about current events, electrical currents, ocean currents, the current moment, undercurrents, or anything else you come up with! We want to see work with unique ideas and perspectives, a strong command of the written word, a clear voice, and emotional depth.
We invite you to explore the following to prompt—but not limit—your thinking:
The news is an ever-present part of young people’s lives. How do current events shape your perspective, emotions, and lived experience?
Electrical currents are the backbone of our modern society. They connect us in unprecedented ways while also carrying devastating environmental and social impacts. Consider the tension underlying electricity in your life.
Sometimes, young people’s most foundational and poignant emotions are left unacknowledged. Give voice to an unspoken emotional undercurrent in your life.
Capture a current moment in time: in your personal life, in your community, on an international scale, or from the perspective of a character. Examine the presence of the everyday and mundane (or the dramatic and extraordinary) and what it may look like.
Ocean currents are characterized by continuous, rapid motion. They are a necessary part of the earth’s ecology while also posing a great danger to ships and swimmers. Capture this feeling of unstoppable movement in a piece or explore the inherent contradiction of ocean currents.
