Essay/Film/Music Contest
2027 Project on Racism Contest Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY
The 2027 Project on Racism Contest is open to any student in grades 1—12 attending public, private,
parochial, or home school in the State of West Virginia; or any student under the age of twenty enrolled in
a high school correspondence/TASC program in the State of West Virginia. We are again using the
expanded contest including Essays, Music, and 5-minute films.
CONTACT INFORMATION FORM
Please submit your Contact Information Form along with your original work. Use a paper clip to attach
the Contact Information Form to your medium. Do NOT staple your Contact Information Form to your
medium.
There is no separate registration form.
ENTRY SUBMISSION
Entries may be submitted on or before November 20, 2026. Each entry must include both an essay and a
Contact Information Form. You will NOT receive acknowledgement of receipt.
Essays and Contact Information Forms may be submitted via e-mail, fax, U.S. Postal Service, or hand
delivery. YWCA Wheeling is not responsible for entries not received due to network service outages or
delays, computer difficulties, or any other technological malfunctions; or for entries that are lost, stolen,
misdirected, late, ineligible, incomplete, or mutilated by the U.S. Postal Service.
Submit each entry only once. Do NOT fax an entry multiple time. Do NOT fax and mail the same entry.
All entries submitted via e-mail must be received by midnight on November 20, 2026. Please e-mail
entries to cdcodirector@ywcawheeling.org and type “Essay/Music/Film submission” in the subject line.
All entries submitted via fax must be received by midnight on November 20, 2026. Please fax entries to
304-232-0513 and write “Essay submission” as the recipient.
All entries submitted via U.S. Postal Service must be postmarked on or before November 20, 2026.
Please mail entries to: YWCA Wheeling, 1100 Chapline St, Wheeling, WV 26003, ATTN: Essay
submission
All entries submitted via hand delivery must be received by 5:00 pm on November 20, 2026. Please
deliver entries to YWCA Wheeling first floor reception desk at the above address Monday through
Friday, between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
2027 Project on Racism Contest
Essay Competition
QUOTE
“Let no man pull you as low as to hate him.”
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
ESSAY REQUIREMENTS
Essays should not include any information that identifies the student, teacher, principal, or school. Any
essay that includes identifying information will be automatically disqualified.
All essays will be photocopied for judges. Any essay that is illegible after photocopying will be
automatically disqualified.
Essays should be a maximum of four (4) pages.
Essays may be handwritten, typed, or computer-generated in 12-point Times New Roman font.
Essays must be in English.
Essays must be the original work of the student. Parents/teachers/guardians may type or write a student’s
work verbatim.
Each student may submit only one (1) essay. Please submit only one copy, i.e., do not fax and mail the same essay.
Essays must be in black ink on white paper, double-spaced, and on one side of the paper only.
Please number pages at the bottom, i.e., 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc.
Do not include drawings, references, or other attachments.
Do not use staples. Use a paper clip to attach the Contact Information Form and the essay.
ESSAY PROMPTS GRADES 1 – 4
Has anyone ever made you mad? Have you ever had to forgive that? How did that make you feel? Have
you ever felt bad for being mad or upset at someone? Why do you think that is?
ESSAY PROMPTS GRADES 5 – 8
What does “hate” mean to you?
Have you ever felt guilty for how you felt about someone? Why?
ESSAY PROMPTS GRADES 9 – 12 AND TASC
What are the first thoughts you have when you read the quote?
Does this quote make you think of a specific time or event in your life? Explain?
Does this quote apply to your approach toward life at all? If so, how?
2027 Project on Racism Contest
Five-Minute Film Competition
One of the newest additions to the Project on Racism contest is a Five-Minute Film Contest. We are
giving all the students the opportunity to create a film of five (5) minutes or less in length that is inspired
by or has a theme based on this year’s quote.
QUOTE:
“Let no man pull you as low as to hate him.”
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
The film’s director(s) and actors must have been in high school, Middle school, or Elementary school
while filming the project. This is a statewide film competition and thus accepts films from anywhere in
WV, if you were in grades 1 through 12 when you made the film.
All films must be in English or subtitled in English.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Entries for the 2027 YWCA Project on Racism Five Minute Film Contest
must be submitted on or before November 20, 2026.
ELIGIBILITY: Students must submit entries as required on the entry form to be eligible. Entries
received after the deadline set forth in these terms are ineligible, null, and void.
HOW TO ENTER: Create a film of five (5) minutes or less in length that is inspired by or has a theme
based in this year’s quote. The film can be created by phone, camera, or any other visual recording device.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: Be sure to fill out the Contact Information Sheet and attach it or the
information from it, with your submission.
SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS:
Winners will be announced in the beginning of January 2027.
Winners will be chosen for their creativity, ingenuity, originality, and relevance of the entry. All winners
will be notified by the email address or phone number provided in the entry form.
RULES FOR ENTRY:
Entries may not contain content that contain curse words, gross violence, gore, nudity, or any sexual
situations. Each Entry must include:
1. Completed Contact Information Form
2. A Flash Drive, download link, or CD containing the MP3 (The MP3 can also be emailed to
cdcodirector@ywcawheeling.org
2027 Project on Racism Contest
Song/Music Competition
Another addition to the Project on Racism contest is the Song/Music Contest. We are giving all the
students the opportunity to create a song of three (3) minutes or less in length that is inspired by or has a
theme based on this year’s quote.
QUOTE:
“Let no man pull you as low as to hate him.”
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
The musicians or musical contributors must have been in High school, Middle school, or Elementary
school during the school year 2026-2027. This is a statewide Song/Music competition and thus accepts
music from anywhere in the state provided you were in grades 1 through 12 when you created the piece.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Entries for the 2027 YWCA Project on Racism Song/Music Contest must
be submitted on or before November 20, 2026.
ELIGIBILITY: Students must submit entries as required on the entry form to be eligible. Entries
received after the deadline set forth in these terms are ineligible, null, and void.
HOW TO ENTER: Create a song or musical piece of three (3) minutes or less in length that is inspired
by or has a theme based on this year’s quote. The music can be created by phone, studio, or any other
recording equipment. All music and lyrics must be original. The song entered cannot be owned in any part
by a music publishing company. Categories of music accepted include Alternative, Blues, Children's
Music, Christian, Country, EDM (Electronic Dance Music), Folk, Instrumental, Jazz, Latin, R&B, Hip-
Hop, and Rock. All songs must be in MP3 format.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: The Contact Information Sheet must be attached in some way to the
entry, or the information from it must be submitted with your original work.
SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS:
Winners will be announced in the beginning of January 2027.
Winners will be chosen for the creativity, ingenuity, originality, and relevance of their entry. All winners
will be notified by the email address or phone number provided on the entry form.
RULES FOR ENTRY:
Entries may not contain curse words, words of aggression or violence, or words of a sexual nature.
Each entry must include the following:
1. Completed Contact Information Form
2. A Flash Drive, download link, or CD containing the MP3
(The MP3 can also be emailed to cdcodirector@ywcawheeling.org )
SELECTION OF WINNERS
Winners will be selected according to the following criteria: grammar, originality, relevance to theme, and
effective expression. Winners will be contacted via the email provided on the Contact Information Sheet
and announced at the beginning of January 2027. All judgments are final.
CONDITIONS
All submitted entries shall become the property of the YWCA Wheeling, and no submission will be
acknowledged or returned. The copyright of the entry remains the exclusive property of the entrant.
If any entrant commits plagiarism or violates copyright law, the entrant is solely responsible for the act(s).
The YWCA Wheeling is NOT responsible in cases of plagiarism and/or copyright infringement. If
YWCA Wheeling receives any concrete evidence of plagiarism and/or copyright infringement after a
winner is selected, then the prize shall be returned, and YWCA Wheeling shall remove that work from its website.
If you have any questions about the 2027 Project on Racism Essay Contest, please contact us at
304-232-0511 Ext. 102 or cdcodirector@ywcawheeling.org