The Town of Apex and community partners are hosting a Youth Oratorical Contest for middle and high school students. Participants are asked to prepare a creative expression including an original piece like a speech, poem, or song, and a recorded performance of the piece in response to the following prompt:
What is Juneteenth, why is it significant, and what does it mean to me?
(Include at least one of the three topics in your answer)
- What events led to the creation of Juneteenth?
- What are the colors and symbols commonly associated with Juneteenth?
- Who is considered the “mother” and “grandmother” of Juneteenth, and why?
How to Submit your Expression:
- Submissions are due by midnight (12:00 am) on Friday, June 2, 2023, and must be submitted to the judges at DEI@apexnc.org. Students should record a performance of their written expression on video and submit BOTH the written piece and the video to the committee. Video submissions should not exceed 4 minutes.
- Each participant may only submit one piece of writing along with a prerecorded video of the submission for the contest.
- Submissions may be in the form of a typed, original written speech, poem, or song.
- Students must attend a middle school, or high school located in Apex and part of the Wake County Public School System.
- Submissions must be original and will be evaluated on organization, content, creativity, and grammar.
Additional Information and Requirements:
Winners will be notified by Friday, June 9, 2023. PLEASE NOTE: Contest winners will be asked to attend the award ceremony on Friday, June 16, 2023, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Halle Cultural Arts Center, 237 N. Salem Street in Apex, second floor auditorium. Winner submissions will be shared with the public during the program.
For questions and concerns, please contact Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Coordinator: Celeste Sherer at DEI@apexnc.org or (919) 372-7361.