Be Still Media Art Prize

The Prompt

The movie “Sing Sing” highlights the redemptive power of art. Through theater production, in endless preparation and rehearsals, working together, incarcerated men in New York’s Sing Sing prison receive the tools and grace to regain their humanity.

Light and breadth are cast into their darkness where crime and punishment, guilt and shame, rage and remorse are displaced in internal transformation long before they step in front of an audience.

As one of the inmates reminds his fellow prisoners before the curtain goes up, “Healing for this planet begins right here within the walls of Sing Sing.”

Actor Colman Domingo, who plays the main character, collaborated with a cast of mostly former prisoners – men who found a new sense of identity through the arts: Beloved.

Domingo is passionate about what it takes to bring about lasting rehabilitation. In a recent interview, he pleads, “What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of tools do we want to give people to find the light, to be part of the world again?” He concludes: I know for sure that art saves lives.

As artists, how can we reflect on this, and respond and create?

**We host quarterly competitions with $15,000 USD in prize awards:**

1st place $6,000
2nd place $4,000
3rd place $3,000
*People’s choice* $2,000

*The public will determine the people’s choice prize by electronic voting

NEW DEADLINE: December 16th, 2024 7:00PM EST

We want the prompt to spark the imagination and not tell you what to do. If you need direction, consider these steps:

1.Read (The prompt)
2.Reflect (Take a walk, ponder, imagine)
3.Respond (Engage. Create art that relates to the prompt)

The target audience, tone, and medium is up to you – We look forward to receiving your entry!

The Rules

When is the deadline?

Our competitions are held quarterly (4 times per year)

Our next competition starts October 1st 2024. Submission deadline is December 16th, 2024 7:00PM EST. We welcome early submissions!

Who Can Enter?

We welcome all artists. Individuals or teams can apply. Prize money will be awarded per entry not per person.

What kinds of work can I submit?

If you can upload it, we accept it! We accept ALL kinds of media and arts including:

-Animation and Design
-Dance
-Fine Arts and Installation
-Music and Song
-Poetry and Prose
-Video and Photography

It should be:

ORIGINAL work that engages the prompt
Any licensed or stock material must be attributed
Works that have not been monetized on other platforms
Works that are no longer than five minutes

Do I need to identify AI and non-original work?

Yes, submissions that utilize AI-generated work must include identification/attribution
Yes, any non-original work must include license attribution.

How should my work be submitted?

You must be able to link your entry to a URL. Upload your work on a website or hosting service such as Vimeo, Dropbox, Google drive, portfolio, or any URL that is easily accessible and please make sure the link is public before submitting.

You can link your work straight to your portfolio. Just be sure the URL links straight to your submission, so it’s easy for us to find.

Recommended format in a Google drive or dropbox folder:

– Artwork
– Cover art
– Artist statement: title, creative process, explanation on how your submission relates to the prompt; details if applicable (dimensions/medium)

How will my work be judged?

By our Be Still Media team that includes our team of incentivizors.

They will judge much like critics evaluate music, film, literature, etc.
They will consider the quality of the work based on how it impacts them (ie. creativity, storytelling).
They will consider how the idea responds to the prompt.