February 12, 2022 - The California Armenian Legislative Caucus is holding two scholarship contests for the 2022 remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. California high school 
students from 9th grade through 12th grade are invited to participate in an essay contest and/or a visual arts contest to increase greater awareness of the Armenian Genocide on its anniversary.
All winners will be contacted directly and announced to mainstream and Armenian media by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus on April 15, 2022. All winners will be awarded scholarships and will be acknowledged at the California Armenian Legislative Caucus’ annual Armenian Advocacy Day and receive special recognition from the members of the Armenian Caucus. Original artwork will be requested from visual arts applicants if they are selected as a finalist for possible display in the California State Capitol.
Criteria for each contest are detailed below. Students may enter both contests, but submissions must be entered separately.
Essay Scholarship Awards:
First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $750
Third Place: $500
Visual Art Scholarship Awards:
First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $750
Third Place: $500
The deadline for all essay and visual arts submissions is April 8, 2022. For questions or more information, please contact Ryan Ahari via email at: ryan.ahari@asm.ca.gov.
Essay Prompt:
This year's writing prompt calls on students to assume that:
- They have been hired to work for a still-to-be-constructed Armenian American National Museum, with the museum to be located in Glendale, California.
- They have received word from the museum director that one wing of the museum will be entitled Notable Armenian Americans.
- They are to share with the director, in the form of an internal memo, one person’s name that should be featured in this wing of the museum and the reason(s) that this name should so be featured.
The students’ internal memo should be written using the template below and accompanying instructions:
Internal Memo
Proposed Museum Exhibit
To: Director
Armenian American National Museum
From: [Your Full Name]
[School Name] / [Grade]
Re: A Notable Armenian American
Recommendation for Proposed Museum Exhibit
Date: [Insert Date]
______________________________________________________________________
NAME OF PERSON BEING RECOMMENDED
(Insert here the name of the person you are recommending. Yes, it can be a relative or someone you know. It can also be someone you have only recently learned about.)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH (100 words max)
(Insert here a brief description of the life of the person you are recommending.)
FOCUSED SKETCH (500 words max)
(Insert here what you would want to have clearly presented in the exhibit about the person you are recommending. This is your chance to go into detail about this person, answering the question: What makes this Armenian American so notable?)
PERSONAL CONNECTION (100 words max)
(Insert here what caused you to want to recommend this person? Are you related to this person? Have they accomplished something that you too wish to accomplish? Does this person have a personal story that you somehow connect to? Share something about you that helps the museum exhibit visitor better understand why you recommended this person to be featured in the exhibit.)
TAKE AWAY (50 words max)
(Insert here either a thought or a question that you want the public to have in mind after encountering your proposed portion of the exhibit. In other words, what do you want the public saying to itself when it learns about the person you are recommending?)
MISCELLANEOUS (50 words max)
(Insert here anything else you might like to add. This can include any photos, drawings, charts, book excerpts, etc., but no links to any video and/or audio clips or any webpages.)
All submissions must be received by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus electronically on or before April 8, 2022 by using this submission form. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.
At the top of your internal memo, please include your name, age, address, high school, and grade along with your teacher’s name, email address, and subject area.
Visual Art Criteria:
This year’s theme is “Human to Human Interaction.” All applicants must develop their submission in keeping with this theme.
- Personal statement (300-500 words) explaining the artwork and how it connects to the theme of human-to-human interaction. In the top left corner, applicant must include: name, age, primary address, high school, grade, teacher’s name and subject (if applicable), phone number, and email address (this information will not count as part of the total word count).
- Only two-dimensional, visual art submissions will be accepted. Submission types are limited to drawings, paintings, photographs, digital illustrations, and graphic design.
- Submissions may not exceed an 11x17 frame and must weigh less than 25 pounds.
- Submissions may not include any nudity, excessive and/or graphic violence, racial slurs, derogatory and/or offensive language, profanity, and may not make use of or replicate existing artwork. All submissions must be original work created by the applicant.
Submission Contents
- Email subject, as well as titles of the attached document, must be formatted as follows: “CALC – Student Name – Title of Piece” (e.g. CALC – William Saroyan – The Time of Your Life).
- Submissions must include the personal statement and meet the criteria listed.
- Submissions must include a high-definition photograph of the artwork, be sure to take a close up picture with enough lighting for the reviewers to see the detail of the work. It is acceptable to submit up to five photos. Be aware of the lighting of the piece and provide different angles to showcase the depth of the artwork.
- Submissions must include one recent high-definition photograph of the applicant, suitable for publication (e.g. cap and gown photos, professional headshots, or quality photographs/close-ups of the applicant).
All submissions must be received by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus electronically on or before April 8, 2022 by using this submission form. Any submissions sent after the deadline will not be accepted.
At the top of your personal statement, please include your name, age, address, high school, and grade along with your teacher’s name, email address, and subject area.
For Historical Context for Both Contests:
Websites
http://www.Armenian-Genocide.org
Articles
New York Times –“Allies Punish Turks Who Murder” May 24, 1915
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C03E6DB1338E633A25757C2A9639C946496D6CF
New York Times – “Armenians Dying In Prison Camps” August 21, 1916
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9800EED91E3FE233A25752C2A96E9C946796D6CF
Source: Senator Anthony J. Portantino
