Art Contest
Students have an opportunity to share their talent through painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, or sculpture.
Students may choose to illustrate the purposes and applications of the First Amendment that may include its history, adoption, and recognition of significant individuals involved.
- Entry Deadline is April 1, 2025
Awards and Prizes
Cash prizes will be based on judging criteria.
Grade 10-12: Win up to $500.00
Grade 7-9: Win up to $250.00
Grade 4-6: Win up to $100.00
Grade K-3: Win up to $75.00
Contest Guidelines
Theme: First Amendment
Eligibility: Open to all students K-12
Media: Painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, sculpture
Submission Deadline: March 1
Divisions: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12
Entry Rules
- All entries must be the student’s original work. No one else is allowed to alter it in any way.
- Works must be submitted as a digital image in JPG format only. PowerPoint format is not accepted. The image should be no smaller than 300 dpi.
- No personal or identifying information may appear on the artwork itself, so NO names, grades, teachers’ names or school names on the art.
If you have any questions or are having difficulty submitting your artwork send an email to: artcontest@freedomfestival.org
Art Contest Judging Rubric
Theme: The First Amendment
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Helpful Hint: Your art may depict all of the first amendment, or just one aspect of the first amendment.
Your artwork will be judged using these guidelines
50% Artistic Element
What is the overall impression of the art?
Does it stand on its own as an outstanding work?
Is it creative and original?
What is the quality of the artistic composition and overall design?
50% Thematic Element
What is the quality of the clarity and interpretation of the theme?
Is it creative and original?
Are you a teacher?
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Art Ideas For The First Amendment
The founders of our nation believed that we must have the right to think, believe, argue, and worship freely, and, in turn, to express our beliefs to our fellow citizens and to our government as freely as possible. That idea—the freedom of conscience—is the core of the First Amendment.To help you come up with an Art subject, ponder these questions:
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Do you think the freedoms identified in the First Amendment would already be protected in a democracy where citizens have a role in shaping the government? Was it necessary to establish these rights in an official document?
The First Amendment does not permit people to do anything they want to do. How and why are the liberties and rights of people not unlimited? In what kinds of situations do you think it is fair and reasonable to limit freedom of expressions?
For students: The cost of Hope of America has been $10 for many years. Registration is paid online by individual parents directly to the Hope of America organization. This includes a Hope of America tee shirt for the child. After the program, parents will have digital access to a recording of the performance and a group photo on our Hope of America website. A portion of each registration helps pay for production costs, facility use, traffic officers, and ushers/security. Students will need to bring a flashlight and a pair of sunglasses.
Financial accommodations: We want ALL students to be able to participate in this amazing experience! Often a principal has resources which can be used to help cover students’ registrations. Each year through our website, generous parents donate toward the registration of an additional child or two. These funds can help cover the registration for families for whom $10 is a hardship. Certain grants that your school may have could also be used. Please ask! Let us help you to find the financial resources to allow for EVERY child who wants to participate to do so!
Are the First Amendment freedoms among the “self-evident” and “unalienable rights” referred to in the Declaration of Independence? What is the relationship of the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights?
What do you think about Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis statement that the founding generation “believed that freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political truth; that without free speech and assembly discussion would be futile; that with them, discussion affords ordinarily adequate protection against the dissemination of noxious doctrine; that the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government.”?