OPEN TO ALL MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
First place: $350
second: $250
Third: $150
SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED
THROUGH dec 1, 2024
How do you work through stress and worry?
We’re looking for your creative ideas!
What’s this all about?
OK You works with all kinds of humans to design creative projects that support emotional wellness. Our goal is to inspire more people to “create their own OK.” We think of OKness as that feeling of inner peace you get when you’re feeling strong, calm and connected to your best self.
We believe we all have it in us to create that feeling for ourselves, and:
We believe that middle and high school students
have the wisdom and imagination to
create more OKness in the world.
DO YOU NEED TO HAVE EXPERIENCE OR BE AN ARTIST?
Absolutely not. Your experience as a human is what we value most.
Also, we believe that we’re all creative in our own ways, especially when we focus on what we love. Wherever you find joy and expression—in painting, cooking, music, nature, etc—that’s where your creativity will come alive.
We’re looking for ideas not masterpieces.
Creativity can be any idea or activity that engages the imagination. We like surprises!
Why participate?
If selected as a finalist, your project will be featured in our e-book and on this website, inspiring others to create their own OK.
You also have a chance to win one of our three cash prizes:
First place: $350
Second place: $250
Third place: $150
And, most importantly, your idea could make a difference in many lives and create more OKness in the world!
Ready to enter your idea in the OK CHALLENGE?
step 1
Look over our About page, CREATE page, and YouTube Channel to learn more about our mission and projects.
step 2
Decide if you are going to work on your own or in a team of up to 3. (Cash prizes are split evenly among team members.) All members of your team must be in middle or high school.
Whether you’re working on your own or in a group, you may submit up to 3 ideas.
project example:
step 3
Spend some time thinking about this question:
What are some creative activities that could help us when we’re feeling stressed or worried? Creative activities can include drawing, painting, sculpture, music, dance, movement, nature-based art, cooking or baking… surprise us!
It’s okay if you don’t do those activities yourself, you can still come up with ideas! For example, even if you aren’t a dancer, you can still come up with a project that involves dance.
project example:
OK Challenge judges are looking for original ideas that support inner wellness,
are clearly expressed, and include
all of the criteria in step 5.
step 4
Once you have a creative activity in mind, come up with a specific project idea.
For example, if you came up with baking as your activity, what is a baking project that would help through stress or worry? Maybe it’s a layer cake with each layer representing a feeling.
step 5
When you have an idea, share your project on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. You can face your paper in either direction, but please only use one side.
On your paper, include:
project examples:
final step!
You are now ready to share your idea! Go to our submission form and carefully follow the instructions. If you have questions or need assistance, email us at submissions@okyou.org.
Projects must be received by 11:59 PST December 1, 2024.
project example:
what’s next?
A diverse panel of volunteer judges will review all of the projects to determine our finalists.
Finalists will be announced by January 20.