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2026 Hope and Justice Judging

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We encourage you to seek personal support if you become troubled by the content of this category. If you experience an emotional crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7) or the California Warm Line at (833) 845-7415

The entries you are judging are submissions in the Hope and Justice category. Entries in this category deal with a variety of topics including mental health, suicide prevention, social justice and other complex topics that need to be addressed with compassion and knowledge.

For this category we asked youth to communicate about what they are feeling, increase knowledge about an issue or take a stand against injustice, or share their perspective in a way that gives others a glimpse into their lives. While some youth submit entries share ideas for solutions to the issues of concern, others used this as an opportunity to process their feelings in a therapeutic way.

We welcome all types of submissions. In our submission criteria, we remind youth that whatever message they choose, their submissions need to be thoughtful and respectful. We asked youth to be honest about their feelings, but to be sure their entries convey that they are coming from a place of cultural humility and has the intent to further understanding and constructive dialogue about social justice and change. So, as a judge please score each of these entries based on how well they conveyed their messages and followed these guidelines.

At any point if you are experiencing technical difficulties with the website, or have questions regarding the category, please email shanti@youthcreatingchange.org or call (619) 786-5622.

In advance, we appreciate your time.

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Entry Details

Title: I love you

Grade: 12

A note from the youth artist about their submission

This film is about me struggling with understanding why I do the things I do, not giving myself credit for the hard work that I put into every aspect of my life. about me putting myself down because I think that the things I do have no significance or purpose. When coming up with an idea for directing change, I felt very lost. It felt like I needed to come up with this groundbreaking and astonishing idea that every person would understand and be blown away by. Because of this, I stalled for a very long time, I was stuck. I was stuck in my same routine of work that felt endless. So, that’s what I decided to make the film about, about not being able to fully understand what my purpose is, and throughout the process of making this filmed I realized that because of all of this, I truly stopped loving myself. I stopped loving who I am. This film was extremely eye opening to me in many ways, such as understanding its okay to not fully understand your purpose, or to learn that your actions have impact, that they truly matter. And this is what I hope people can take from this film. You should love yourself regardless of where you are at or where you might think you’re going, and that its okay to feel stuck, because at the end of the day, everyone is trying to figure life out.

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Messaging Scoring Measures

Please enter a number from 0 to 25.
Hope: Feeling hopeful can help reduce feelings of helplessness, increase happiness, reduce stress and encourage us to keep going when things are tough. What is your source of hope? What helps you get through tough times. What do you see in the world or people around you that gives you hope?
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Justice: What does treating people equally and fairly look like? What justice and social justice issues do you see in the world today and how can you educate others about them and what we can do to take a stand against injustice? Share your thoughts on actions that people can take to create the change they wish to see in their communities and the world.
Please enter a number from 0 to 25.
Art can be used to influence change – through education, connection or inspiration. While this scoring measure is highly subjective the goal of this is to consider how this submission provided you with new information, provided you with a new perspective, made you feel, or connected with you personally.
Please enter a number from 0 to 25.
(Note: This is not about quality/craftmanship of the submission, but more about overall effort and thought from the youth artist. Please also consider the age of the participant, as ages range from middle school age to 25 years old).
Please enter a number from 0 to 25.
  • If a film or TikTok – consider the focus, exposure, audio clarity, use of graphics and/or special effects, pacing and flow.
  • If a painting, digital art, sketch, comic, animation, or other 2-D art – consider the skill in use of line, color, form, texture, perspective, visual rhythm, etc.
  • If a radio PSA – consider the pace, clarity of messaging, use of music or sound effects, overall flow of script, etc.
  • If original music – consider the clarity, rhythm, musical and/or mechanical skill, phrasing, etc.
  • If a blog, poem, spoken word, essay or other narrative – consider the structure, grammar, word choice, flow, rhyme scheme, expressiveness, etc.
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