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Parks center creativity contest opens to area teens
Area teenagers now have the chance to showcase their creative sides in a contest centered around the late Gordon Parks.
The Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity is now accepting entries for the fourth annual creativity contest, which is part of the Fifth Annual Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity next month at FSCC. Through the contest, the Gordon Parks Center seeks to nurture young talent to follow in Parks' footsteps, a statement from the center said.
The contest, which follows the theme "Diversity In My Life," is designed to allow area 9-12 grade students an opportunity to put their creative talents on display, and to possibly be rewarded for their work as well, Gordon Parks Center Executive Director Jill Warford said.
"This contest provides opportunities for high school students to develop their creativity and to learn a little about Gordon Parks at the same time," Warford said. "We hope that all the area schools will encourage their students to take part in this artistic endeavor."
The contest features several categories that are available to those teens who are interested in submitting an entry, including poetry, essay, photography, collage, short film, and dramatic interpretation of a Parks work.
Warford said the contest typically features between 30 and 40 entries each year, but she is anticipating many more participants this year.
"I hope we have over 100 entries," she said. "There is no fee to enter and it allows them (contestants) to become motivated to show their creative work. There are a lot of talented kids in the area."
The contest has grown from previous years when it only offered participants a chance to show off their poetry and essay writing skills, to a more developed competition this year that involves more creative categories, Warford said.
"It's been expanded this year," she said. "Before, we just did poetry and essay. This will open it up to more high school kids and offer them more opportunities."
Rather than awarding top prizes in each category of the contest, organizers plan to award an overall first, second and third place prize at the conclusion of the contest. The first place winner will receive $100; the second place winner will receive $75; and the third place winner will be awarded $50. There will also be eight honorable mention award winners who will receive $25 each.
Each winner in the contest will also receive a certificate of accomplishment and a copy of Parks' autobiographical novel, "The Learning Tree," a 1963 book which Parks later adapted into a 1969 movie that was filmed in Fort Scott. All winners will be notified about a week after the contest deadline, following the judging period for all entries, Warford said.
Entries will be judged by area educators who possess a background in one or more of the contest categories.
The deadline to enter the contest is Sept. 22. All entries will be displayed during the Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity that will take place Oct. 1-4. Students will also have an opportunity during the celebration to show or perform their work. Funding for the creativity contest is provided by the Bourbon County Arts Council.
For more information, contact Warford at (800) 874-3722, extension 515, or by e-mail at jillw@fortscott.edu. A complete list of contest criteria and entry instructions can be found online at www.gordonparkscenter.org.
The Gordon Parks Celebration is a four-day event featuring guest speakers, film screenings, panel discussions, and other presentations that was created in 2004 to honor Parks, who was born in Fort Scott in 1912. Parks, a noted photographer, writer, poet, musician and filmmaker, died in March 2006 in his New York home.