English | Français | العربية | Ùارسی
This annual contest comes from a 1951
Langston Hughes poem: What
Happens to a Dream Deferred?. Just as the poem
helped propel the civil rights movement in the U.S., today it
can inspire your dream deferred for the
Middle East. The contest has two parts: one for Middle Eastern youth and one
for American youth - read the questions that prompted the essay entries.
Below are the winners of the 2012 edition of the contest. Congratulations to all the 700 people who participated from 18 countries!
Middle East Winners: |
United States Winners: |
| FIRST PLACE: “Spring Semester of Freedom at Revolution U.â€
by Anonymous, age 24, Syria A gripping account of how a fear-based regime tries to maintain control through espionage, trickery and ultimately violence in suppressing peaceful protest. The essay explains in a microcosm how a seemingly inert political arena becomes mobilized, and what happens before, during, and after a protest. Above all, the essay spotlights ordinary heroism and transcending fear in the face of repression. - English (العربية) SECOND PLACE: “I Will Be Marjane - Marjane until the End!†by Rahma Khiari, age 21, Tunisia The author captures the bipolar mood of the Arab Spring: exhilarating power and hope coupled with frustration in the face of immense challenges. Brash about her identity as an independent woman, the author bristles at the regressive mentality of those proclaiming to represent the her religion. She describes her dream deferred of a Tunisia restored as a pearl of the Mediterranean.- English (Français) THIRD PLACE: “A Spark in Khartoum†by Maha Elsanosi, age 24, Sudan A young Sudanese reveals how the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings led her to find her voice and clarify her goals for her own country. At a grassroots protest in Khartoum, she is able to imagine freedom for “twenty majestic minutes†- until her dream converges with the realities of state violence and repression. But it is also clear that the writer remains undaunted. - English THIRD PLACE: “Freedom of Education†by Abdulbast Khanshali, age 21, Algeria Civil rights activism goes far beyond big rallies in public squares against dictatorship. As this essay reveals, simply trying to earn a high school degree can set teenagers against a system of corruption and elitism. The author's determination to obtain his degree - and then to reform a corrupt education system - offers an example of individual initiative in the face of repression. - English THIRD PLACE: “In the Streets of Cairo†by Rana Hassanen, age 24, Egypt The essay captures the chaotic atmosphere of Cairo before, during, and after the initial Egyptian revolution. The author describes the difficult decision to go to join the protests in the streets and the turbulent scenes that followed Mubarak's removal. The issue raised is pressing: Will genuine individual rights for all emerge or will the old repressive order simply be preserved under new management? - English HONORABLE MENTION: “Lighting a Candle without Waiting for the Sun†by Mohammed Mohammed, age 23, Iraq "I am a Kurd but experienced the Arab Spring," reveals the author. His essay describes how Mideast uprisings impacted more remote parts of the region, in this case a transformation among Iraqi Kurds sparked by a small group of young activists. The author recounts how he "studied Locke’s theories in college and then fought for them" in the streets. - English Creating SHE by Mariam Diefallah, age 18, Egypt In the wake of the Egyptian revolution, a young woman takes concrete steps to tackle a widespread challenge: sexual harassment. She gives lectures and starts a grassroots initiative, enabling many young women to talk about the problem for the first time. Then her initial enthusiasm meets reality. - English |
FIRST PLACE: “Libyan Beachesâ€
by Oswa Shafei, age 13, Georgia A remarkable voice emerges in this essay by a young Libyan-American who offers pointed observations about the impact of civil rights repression. With one innocent and unwittingly hilarious question, she cuts through the insanity of Moammar Gadaffi's four decades of brutal rule. She also reveals the process by which she as an American came to embrace a once alien landscape and society. - English SECOND PLACE: “Who Am I to Speak out? by Kimberly Gannon, age 16, Illinois An American teenager presents an expansive yet realistic vision of a practical solidarity campaign to assist Iranians resisting the forced imposition of hijab on all women by law. The author recognizes that activists collaborating across borders need talk to each other as people and not causes - and that hardest part of solidarity activism in the US may be stepping out of one’s own comfort zone. - English THIRD PLACE: “Reformer in a Paradoxical Paradise†by anonymous, age 22, California In profiling a dissident from the UAE who has spent time in jail simply for publicly calling for political reforms, the author also captures the "paradoxical paradise" of a Persian Gulf dictatorship that will soon host branches of the Louvre and New York University. The essayist notes that a regime craving "international visibility" exposes itself to pressure by civil rights campaigners. - English THIRD PLACE: “A Dream Undeferred†by Harrison Lee, age 17, Maryland A young filmmaker brings the Arab Spring back into focus by profiling an American journalist who ended up spontaneously joining the Libyan uprising - and paying the price with weeks spent in solitary confinement inside Gadaffi's prisons. This short video returns American viewers to the scene of a dramatic effort to overthrow a brutal dictator and achieve basic civil liberties. - English THIRD PLACE: “LGBT Pioneer in Iran†by Sophie Wilkowske, age 17, Minnesota The author profiles a gay rights pioneer in Iran in order to move from the statistical level to the “real life hurt and oppression of living people.†She lays out moral arguments as well as concrete steps Americans can take to support homosexuals in Iran. The essay suggests that while Americans have the tools of activism as a birthright, overcoming apathy may be the biggest challenge. - English HONORABLE MENTION: “Veiled but Vocal Tunisia†by Alexandra BetGeorge, age 22, New York The author explores the dichotomy between social freedom and political expression in Tunisia by describing her first-hand experiences and observations both before and after the Tunisian revolution. The essay explores the example of a youth-let NGO to demonstrate the new freedoms and challenges in post-revolutionary Tunisia. - English “My Experience as an Afghan Woman†by anonymous, age 21, United States Poignant testimony from an Afghani who felt compelled to leave her homeland in order to gain an education. Her determination to overcome opposition on a personal level – coupled with her inability to change attitudes – gives the essay a sense of both inspiration and outrage. - English |
Congratulations to all the cash prize winners as well as the 50 book prize winners and everyone who entered the contest!
