ART AND ESSAY

Celebrate Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by submitting visual art, an essay, or a
spoken word piece inspired by his work. St Cloud, Sauk Rapids, and Sartell students are
invited to creatively express their thoughts and reflections on his legacy. Work will exhibit

and awards will be announced at the Annual MLK Celebration, January 19, 2026.

DEXTER R. STANTON MLK JR. ART & ESSAY CONTEST DUE: 12/01/2025

This year’s event theme is, The Fierce Urgency of Now. Inspired by his “I Have a Dream” speech and “Beyond Vietnam,” this theme calls for immediate action against injustice. The MLK quote for the contest is, “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.” What topic is urgent to you and what are you doing to take action? How does that action help MLK's dream come closer to reality? Create either a visual, written, or spoken piece that expresses your understanding of the quote and questions. For high school and college students, also add, what is the impact of taking, or not taking, action?

Artwork originals under 24" and writings can be submitted to your school office for pick up. Or you can scan/photograph the work and submit a Word document, PDF, JPG, MP4, MOV.

JUDGING
While the quality of work is important, judging is also based on the relevance to the quote and questions, plus the artist's statement. Work needs to be original.

ENTRY
Work can be left at your school office OR arrange for pick up OR send an email to herartsinaction@gmail.com.

GRADE-SPECIFIC GUIDES

Kindergarten- 4th Grade ($25 AWARD)

Visual (2D or 3D)- Size should be 24" or smaller. Artwork should not be framed.
Writing (essay, creative, poetry)- Writing should be around 100 words.
Spoken - Video should be around 30 seconds long.

5th- 8th Grade ($50 AWARD)

Visual (2D or 3D)- Size should be 24" or smaller. Artwork should not be framed.
Writing (essay, creative, poetry)- Writing should be around 200 words.
Spoken - Video should be around 1 minute long.

9th-12th Grade ($75 AWARD)

In addition to the quote and questions under the CONTEST QUOTE section, what is the impact of taking action?
Visual (2D or 3D)- Size should be 24" or smaller. Artwork should not be framed.
Writing (essay, creative, poetry)- Writing should be around 600 words.
Spoken - Video should be 1-2 minutes long.

College ($150 AWARD)

In addition to the quote and questions under the CONTEST QUOTE section, what is the impact of taking action?
Visual (2D or 3D)- Size should be 24" or smaller. Artwork should not be framed.
Writing (essay, creative, poetry)- Writing should be around 1,000 words.
Spoken - Video should be about 2 minutes long.

QUESTIONS: Contact Sarah at herARTS in Action via herartsinaction@gmail.com or 320-200-9688.