The year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Nakba (the catastrophe): the expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is soliciting entries for a commemoration of the Nakba through personal expressions in the form of visual arts, essays, poetry, music, video and digital media.

“Expressions of al-Nakba” is an international competition which seeks to present the extraordinary narrative of a dispossessed people through a diverse range of expressions that interpret the collective identity, historic struggle, and emotional experience of the Nakba for Palestinians. The competition strives to highlight the ongoing effects of the Nakba on the contemporary life of Palestinian refugees along with a deeper exploration of the many emerging notions of being in “exile” today.

The competition

The competition accepts original entries pertaining to the themes of the Nakba in the following five categories:

1. Written work: poetry and short essays (no more than 1,500 words)
2. Recorded audio: spoken word and music (less than five minutes)
3. Visual arts: illustration, painting, photography and mixed-media work
4. Poster design: poster-quality graphic design for use in public awareness campaign
5. Digital media: digital video shorts and interactive media (less than 10 minutes)

Selected poster designs will be used for a nation-wide awareness campaign to be launched in May 2008 for display in print media and billboard advertising. Suitable entries must consider design requirements for large scale printing and dissemination.

Entries from youth (age 18 or under) are encouraged for special recognition by the competition. All written or spoken entries must be submitted in English or Arabic. Along with the submission, all entries must provide a title, abstract, and names/biographies of the entrants (in English).

We encourage submission of the entries in both high-resolution (for printing/screening) and compressed media (less than 10 MB for the website).

There is no entry fee.

Deadlines and awards

Submission deadline: 30 March 2008 (commemorated as Land Day).

Winning entrants will be notified via email by 10 May 2008.

The competition will award a sum of $500 to each of five winning entries selected in each submission category (for a total of $2,500 in awards provided). All US taxes (federal, state and local, if any) are the responsibility of all winners who have US citizenship. International entrants are subject to a 30 percent reduction in prize money for US tax purposes.

A subset of the most compelling entries will also qualify for inclusion in the online gallery of the competition website as well as showcased in public exhibitions held upon completion of the competition. Two public exhibitions are currently planned by the US Campaign, to be held in Washington, D.C. and Boston during the week of 15 May 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba. Other exhibitions may be held in 2008 in conjunction with partner organizations in the United States and abroad.

Competition website

A new website is being setup for submission and display of selected entries from the competition: http://www.expressionsofnakba.org

Please check this website regularly for updates and details on the competition and entries selected.

Related Links

• US Campaign to End the Occupation