Sponsored by
2023 Juneteenth Poetry Contest Sponsored by Rotella’s Bakery
Please fill out the form below by May 12, 2023 if you wish to submit an essay for the Juneteenth Poetry Contest hosted by Freedomtainment . Work should reflect on the writers’ personal story of what Juneteenth means to them or share a personal story related to the factual meaning of Juneteenth “. Winners will be publicly announced live on stage at the Omaha Freedom Festival on Saturday, June 17th during the FREE Family-friendly portion of the Festival between 1-5:00pm. Winners will be contacted prior to the event to enable in person attendance at the Festival to pick up their award and read their essay to the audience (or have someone read winning essays on your behalf). Winners do not need to attend the Festival in person to claim their award.
Freedomtainment, a 501c3 nonprofit from North Omaha with the mission to Educate, Empower and Entertain the Omaha community about African American culture is excited to announce an essay contest inspiring residents to share their personal stories addressing the question “What does Juneteenth mean to ME?”. Submissions will be accepted thru June 1st; winners will be publicly announced on June 18th at the Omaha Freedom Festival during the FREE Family-friendly portion of the Festival between 1-5:00pm. Winners will be contacted prior to the event to enable in person attendance at the Festival to pick up their award and read their essay to the public (or have it read). There is no cost to participate in the contest and winners do not need to be present at the Festival to win; however, attendance is strongly encouraged.
Helpful info:
MPORTANT DATES
Application open: Saturday, April 1
Last day to apply: Friday, May 12 @ 11:59pm
Finalists notified: Monday, June 5
Winners Announced: Saturday, June 17
Festival Dates: Saturday, June 17
- Submitted work must be family friendly
- Work should reflect on the writers’ personal story of what Juneteenth means to them or share a personal story related to the factual meaning of Juneteenth.
- All work should be original to the author and any quotes from other writers must be clearly attributed.
Who can enter the contest? Omaha and Lincoln area residents. Finalists will be asked to present their work at the Omaha Freedom Festival on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Staff of the Omaha Freedom Festival or the Nebraska Writers Collective are not eligible.
Poems will be accepted in one of three age categories:
- Middle School (ages 10-13)
- High School (ages 14-18)
- Adult (ages 19 and up)
Who is judging?
All entries will be judged by Lite Pole (LP).
Lite Pole (LP) is an aspiring Artist from Omaha, NE. His articulate rhyme scheme and use of whimsical metaphors define him as one of the most distinguished and unorthodox lyricist on the music scene. Always having a natural inkling for art since a child; LP found his passion for music in 7th Grade after being exposed to his peers free-styling during their daily lunch periods. Since then LP has been developing himself into a fine lyricist and an established producer, creating instrumentals under the alias “2 Stomachs”. In 2011, LP began UnPlugged Connection™ (UPC) under which he operates his music and clothing line. His goal is to spread peace and consciousness to his listeners and breathe life back into the “Art” of storytelling. You can learn more about LP at LPunplugged.com
What will I win? A winner and runner-up will be chosen in each category. Both will have the opportunity to read their piece on the Omaha Freedom Festival stage. The winners in each category will receive $300. Runners-up will receive $150
For more information see: http://staging.omahafreedomfestival.com/essay-contest/
Direct questions to Calvin Williams at: [email protected]
Thank you to Lou Rotella with Rotella’s Bakery for sponsoring the Essay Contest!
Good Luck!! We look forward to reading your stories and seeing you at the Festival.