The Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission announces annual creative contests for students to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy

Essay entries due by midnight Nov. 13, posters due Dec. 1

CHARLESTON, WV – The Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission, in collaboration with the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs (HHOMA) invites West Virginia students to create original poster, art, music, film, or essay submissions to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Essay, Music and Film Contests
The 2024 Project on Racism is presented by the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission and the YWCA Wheeling. The contest accepts entries for essays, music, and five-minute films.

Any student from grades 1-12 attending public, private, parochial, or home school in West Virginia may enter. Students under the age of 20 enrolled in a high school correspondence / Test Assessing Secondary Completion program also qualify to compete.

The 2024 Project on Racism Contest will be based on the following quote from Dr. King:

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

Entries may be submitted by U.S. Postal Service, fax, email, or hand delivery. Each entry must be accompanied by a completed contact information form and the original work. All entries in this category must be received before midnight Nov. 13, 2023.

Entry requirements, contest rules, contact form, and submission instructions can be found here.

Winners will be announced before the end of December 2023 and will be invited to participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission Awards Luncheon on January 14, 2024.

Poster Contest 
The Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission and the Beta Beta Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, present the 40th annual poster competition.

West Virginia students from grades K-12 may enter the poster contest. The art must focus on the following quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Posters must incorporate the quote. Although the artwork must be original, teachers are encouraged to assist students to develop original slogans or captions used in the poster.

The entry may be in any format. The piece can be created with pencil, crayon, pen and ink, watercolor, acrylic, serigraph woodblock, photography, or mixed media. The artist must explain the style and the selected media on the entry form, which must be taped to the back of the artwork. Entries without this information will be disqualified.

Submissions in this category must be postmarked on or before Thursday, Dec. 1. Judging begins Dec. 2. Winning entries will be exhibited at the Great Hall of the West Virginia State Culture Center from January 2024 to February 2024. The Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission will also create a 2024 calendar using the winning entries from the poster contest and winners will be invited to participate in the January 13, 2024 Awards Luncheon.

Contact form, contest rules, and submission instructions can be found here.

For guidelines and entry forms for all the contests, visit the MLK Commission tab on HHOMA's website at minorityaffairs.wv.gov.