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Monthly Prompt Judging

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Dear Judge,

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 have 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.

Entry Details

Title: Dear Future Me

Grade: 12

A note from the youth artist about their submission

I am submitting this Dear Future Me letter I wrote reflecting on my life so far. In it, I talk about my childhood, the hardships I have overcome including a serious medical crisis, and the ways my experiences on the streets shaped who I am today. I write honestly about loss, resilience, and the influence my mother has had on my growth. My letter closes with a message to my future self about using good judgement, trusting my instincts, and staying virtuous. I am submitting this piece because it represents how far I have come and the lessons I have learned about turning struggle into motivation for success.

Judge Name*

Messaging Scoring Measures

Please enter a number from 0 to 25.
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.