Now through July 4: Submit your entry early to win a $10 Boba Guys or Teaspoon Gift Card randomly selected for 10 Youth participants!
Reflections on Civil Rights & the Asian American Experience
at the United States' Semiquincentennial
In 2026, the United States marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we celebrate this historical moment, the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP) invites you to explore Asian American history, and connect it to the present. Showcase your creativity and enter the contest. Youth participants may win a cash prize of up to $500. See Who Can Participate for prize details. Winning projects will be featured on the CHCP website and displayed in public exhibitions.
What Should You Create?
Submit an original poem, artwork, or video that:
- Connects a historical event of a civil rights issue involving Asian Americans, and
- Explain why that history matters today.
Sample topics include, but are not limited to:
- The Chinese Exclusion Act and immigration rights
- World War II mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans
- Vietnamese settlement
- Birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment
- School segregation and educational access
- Labor rights
- Asian American activism during the Civil Rights Movement
- Local civil rights struggles in your own community
You are encouraged to use primary sources, family stories, or local history where possible. Participants are responsible for obtaining all rights, licenses, and permissions for any third party content in their submissions.
Who Can Participate?
All California residents, including CHCP members, are welcome to participate. Submissions will be judged in two (2) divisions:
- Youth (grades 6-12 for the 2026-2027 school year, including incoming 6th grader)
- Adults
The youth group will have cash awards for first ($500), second ($350), and third ($250) prize, and up to three (3) honorable mentions, selected by a judging panel. PLUS: a $10 Boba Guys or Teaspoons gift card will be randomly selected for 10 of the early submissions in the youth division through July 4.
The adult group will have three (3) People’s Choice Awards. Voting will open after the submission deadline. Please check the CHCP website for updates on when voting begins.
Submission Formats
We welcome diverse forms of artistic expression (individually referred to as “work” and collectively, “works”) in the forms of:
- Short video, film, or documentary, including multimedia storytelling (in .MOV or .MP4)
- Original artwork, including photography, digital art, and graphic art (a high resolution scan of the original artwork in JPEG or TIFF)
- Poetry (in PDF)
Poetry submissions are limited to 500 words. Video, films, and performances should be under 3 minutes.
All submissions must include a brief artistic statement (up to 150 words) describing:
- The historical issue addressed
- Why it is a civil rights issue
- Why it matters in 2026
- Other relevant information, including MLA style citations
Other Rules
- Only one entry per participant.
- Participants must submit works that are theirs and theirs only. Submissions of AI-generated content as original creative works are not permitted and will result in disqualification.
- Your submission must not depict any recognizable person for whom you have not received permission to enter such person in the contest and must not infringe upon the publicity rights of any third party. You must receive the requisite permission/consent to use the video/photo from anyone who has any rights to the video/photo.
- By entering, participants grant CHCP rights to showcase and distribute works across various media platforms.
- If your entry is selected as a winner, you grant CHCP a royalty-free, non-exclusive right, in perpetuity, to:
- Use the poem, artwork, or video in its internal and external communications with attribution, including, but not limited to, website, advertising, presentations, and printed and digital materials.
- Use, in connection with the contest, the participant’s name and city of residence.
- Retain a digital copy of the submission.
- Entries must not include trademarked or copyrighted material.
- Winners will be announced in late September and recognized at an in-person Award Ceremony. Please check the CHCP website for further upcoming details. We welcome all participants to attend the event in person.
Judging
- Youth Division: All categories of submissions will be judged by the same jurors based on relevant content and historical accuracy (40%), creativity (30%), and production/technical skills (30%).
- Adult Division: Voting will be open to the public for People's Choice. Please check the CHCP website for details sometime after the submission deadline.
For Questions: Please email Contest2026@chcp.org.
Submission Deadline: July 31, 2026, 6 pm PDT
SUBMIT ENTRY
Chinese Historical & Cultural Project