‘Letters from Home’
CALLING WRITERS AND VISUAL ARTISTS OF ALL AGES
CLICK HERE TO PRINT COMPETITION DETAILS
Are you scaled or covered in hair? Maybe you are winged master of the skies? Or perhaps the oceans are your home? Regardless of who you are or what your species, your home is a diversely vital organism in an eternal orbit. If you have an imagination, a dream, or an idea why not give it voice? Allow it freedom and form?
The Orangutan Project is looking for visual artists, photographers, and writers who would like to participate in our inaugural ‘Letters from Home,’ Writers’ and Artists’ Competition. If you; love this planet, have a passion for the environment and all its unique and fascinating creatures, care about the impact of human activity on earth – we want to hear from you.
Who are we?
The Orangutan Project (TOP) was founded by Australian biologist, Leif Cocks in 1998. Our organization works; to protect the critically endangered orangutans of Borneo and Sumatra, to stem the decimation of the rain-forests by palm-oil and logging interests, to provide employment and educational opportunities for the people in affected areas.
Why Orangutans? Why should Canadians Care?
Earth. Our mother. Our Planet. Our home. We belong to the earth, the earth does not belong to us. She has nurtured not only the human species but also the countless other unique and fascinating creatures. Throughout history, the existence of all earth’s beings has been brilliantly entwined.
In northern Canada the polar bears starve, while in Sumatra and Borneo the rain-forest home of the Orangutan is decimated by the palm-oil industry. The burning rain-forests, impact not only our cousin the orangutan, but also the forests, glaciers, and inhabitants of North America. Agricultural and fisheries practices of North America impact the forest canopies of jungles that are home to the Sumatran tiger, Orangutan, and pygmy elephant. What we do today echos into the future of all of earth’s inhabitants.
The Orangutan Project (Canada) is looking for original submissions of amateur and professional artists of all ages for the Letter’s from Home Writing and Visual Art Competition.
Our competition opens October 1, 2018 and ends January 31, 2019. Entries will be judged by an editorial board and winners will be announced on March 1, 2019.
First, Second, Third, and honourable mention winners of each category will be featured in a hard-copy edition of ‘Letters from Home.’ A winner’s reception and Orangutan Project Presentation will be held in the summer of 2019. ‘Letters from Home’ will be available for the to the general public in e-book and hard copy.
A ten dollar (cdn) entry fee must accompany all submissions.
To contact us please e-mail – Angela.zimmerling@orangutans.ca or Nikko.konyk@orangutans.ca or visit us at orangutans.ca
Writers are invited to explore the following topics:
a) the bond or connection between all living creatures
b) the impact of human activity on the planet
c) the emotional connection between human and non/human animals
d) the rain-forest home
e) orangutans – apes – our family
f) any other topic exploring the importance of an improved relationship between humanity and the natural world to ensure the continuity of all life on our planet.
Categories:
Poetry
• no more than 6 poems per submissions
• all work must be original and not have been previously published
• all work must be the creation of the individual whose name appears on accompanying submission form
Fiction
• must be double spaced
• pages must be numbered in upper right hand corner
• must be the original work of individual whose name appears on accompanying submission form
• must not have been previously published
• must be no more than 2500 wds
Non-fiction
• may take the form of journal or personal
• must be double spaced
• must not have been previously published
• must be the original work of individual whose name appears on accompanying entry submissions
Visual Artists
Adjudicators will be seeking original submissions with a prolific use of theme, a commanding medium and a sagacious use of colour or lack thereof.
Theme:
The prosperity and desolation of the natural world.
Mediums:
• Drawings (coloured pencil, graphite, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal etc.)
• Paintings (oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.)
• Collages (two dimensional)
• Computer-generated art
• Photographs
• Mixed Media (use of more than two mediums listed above)
• Submissions must be scanned and delivered as a jpg., png. or pdf. file type. Pieces must be accompanied with the artists name, age as well as a brief description of the work presented (minimum 2 sentences.)
Age categories
9-12 – poetry, fiction, non-fiction, visual art
12-15 – poetry, fiction, non-fiction, visual art
15-18, – poetry, fiction, non-fiction, visual art
18-21 -poetry, fiction, non-fiction, visual art
21- adult – poetry, fiction, non-fiction, visual art