Creative Connections

Were challenging ORT students to use their talents and skills to produce artistic creations during the school closures and connect with each other while doing so.

You have a chance to win fantastic prizes by being creative on the three themes of familycommunity and connection.

What’s the challenge?

The challenge is open to students at ORT or ORT-affiliated schools, colleges and programs.

Challenge categories are:

  • Art or animations
  • Dance
  • Movie shorts
  • Short stories and poetry
  • Song writing or instrumental composition

 

Your work will be judged in three age groups (based on your age on the closing date): 11 and under, 12-15 and 16-19.

What are the prizes?

Winners will receive a one-to-one video conference session with a professional. They will give you expert feedback, advice on how to develop and answers to your questions.

Certificates will be awarded to everyone who takes part.

We will also share your work to inspire other ORT students and friends of ORT around the world, to show what amazing work you can create in such challenging circumstances.

How do I enter?

  1. Decide which category you would like to enter and check the guidelines below.
  2. Fill in the application form (opens Monday 6 April and closes on Monday 8 June, 2020).
  3. Upload your submissions to our form, if you have any difficulties email them to [email protected].

 

The judges will be looking for originality and creativity, as well as a good performance or piece of work. They want to see a connection to at least one of the three themes and that you can communicate well with the audience.

You can enter up to three entries per person, either in the same or different categories.

We can accept entries from individuals or pairs of students but not any larger groups.

The winning entries will be revealed on Monday 6 July 2020.

Good luck!

APPLY NOW

Categories and Guidelines

Art or Animations

Art helps humanity explore one’s inner and outer experience, to express those sensations and share them with others.

We would like ORT students to choose a message important to them and express it based around the themes of family, community and connection.

Plan how you will express it in art or through an animation and produce an original work that can be shared with us.

You can create art using traditional media, photography or digitally.

Animation may require more skills and more time, so decide how you want to communicate your idea depending on your expertise and how much time you can spend on it.

Artwork is not a poster and animation is not video. Here are some suggestions, though you can choose almost any format within reason:

Artworks – triptych, photomontage, family portrait, poetry illustration, frieze or ‘fancy’ etc

Animation – to tell a story, music, expressing emotion, stop-frame, cel or motion graphics etc

You may collaborate with a family member at home or virtually with a friend – but please make it a personal work expressing a sentiment you both share.

We will collect all submissions and judge them based on pre-determined criteria. We will not judge your planning explicitly but planning your artwork well should be apparent in your final piece.

Dance

Do you love to express your ideas and emotions through dance?

ORT is interested in seeing how you can communicate and convey the themes of family, community and connection through performance art.

We are looking for original and innovative choreography which will engage and move an audience. You may perform with a member of your home or virtually with another student, but we will not accept larger groups.

We welcome any and all genres of dance including ballet, ballroom, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, Latin, lyrical, modern, musical theatre and tap. We would be particularly interested to see types of dance which are native to your country.

Practice your routine and submit a video of your final performance. We expect the performance to be between two and five minutes long – please keep your safety in mind at all times.

Think carefully about the music you will be dancing to and please ensure that you use only public domain music or have the appropriate rights to use your song.

Movie Shorts

Film is an art form that brings together people of all ages and backgrounds, and this is your chance to showcase your movie-making skills. We would like to see short movies reflecting your thoughts and actions during your time away from school.

We invite you to think about the themes of family, community and connection within your short film. Your story should be compelling, so unleash your creativity and let loose your innovative skills.

You should create an original video clip (no longer than five minutes) relevant to at least one of the themes stated above.

The video should not contain any inappropriate text or speech. Sound effects and music may be used, as long as they are in the public domain or you have the rights to use it.

If the video isn’t in English, please prepare a short descriptive text and subtitles to be uploaded along with the video.

We advise you to use tripods and record voiceovers where possible for a better overall quality of video. Be creative and good luck!

Short Stories and Poetry

Creative writing can be a fantastic way to formulate your thoughts, to connect and share with others. Can you produce an original piece of writing or poetry responding to the current global situation?

What feelings do the circumstances evoke; how do people relate to one another during this time?

We’re interested in hearing your thoughts and reflections through words and will be accepting entries in English or any other language spoken in your school.

You can send us a short story of fiction or non-fiction, or a poem in any style. We would like you to focus on the current global situation and in particular the themes of family, community and connection.

Can you apply narrative techniques and poetic devices to interest the reader and make a connection with your audience?

There is no word limit or minimum requirement so decide how you want to express yourself depending on your expertise and how much time you can spend on the project. You will be judged on the quality of your writing, creativity of expression and connection with the audience.

The piece of writing should be written specially for this competition by you and should not have been previously published.

Song Writing or Instrumental Composition

Can you write an original song or instrumental composition on the themes of family, community and connection?

We want to hear music and songs written by ORT students during your time out of school.

We are interested in hearing how you express yourself using any style of music and with whatever instruments (digital or acoustic) you have available.

We will accept audio recordings or video files, either as an attachment or through a file sharing site like SoundCloud or YouTube.

The pieces should be written specially for this competition, with an original tune (and lyrics if it is a song) written by you. It should not be a cover or adaptation of someone else’s work.

If you’d like to collaborate with someone in your home or virtually with a friend, we can accept a joint entry but no larger groups.

Your song should ideally be between two and five minutes, and you will not be judged on the performance but on the quality of your writing or composition.

We are happy to accept song entries in English or any other language as long as you provide our judges with a text of the lyrics that we can translate.