Harvard GlobalWE Creative Advocacy Contest 2026
2026 WINTER CYCLE CONTEST THEME
The Right to Safety: Combating Gender-Based Violence
What does it mean for women and gender minorities to live free from violence, fear, coercion, and discrimination? Participants are encouraged to explore the issue from social, legal, cultural, educational, historical, or personal perspectives.
Submissions may address topics such as domestic violence, emotional abuse, sexual harassment, school safety, online harassment, harmful stereotypes, victim-blaming, silence around abuse, access to justice, or community-based prevention.
The goal of the contest is to encourage young people to become creative advocates for dignity, equality, and safety.
Due Date: All submissions are due November 1, 2026. Results will be announced at the end of December.
All medal-winning entries will be published on the official website. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals, as well as Commendation Certificates, will be awarded to the highest-performing contestants in each category. The Medalists will be announced on the official website.
Grade Divisions: Grades 2-6 will compete in the Lower Division, and Grades 7-12 will compete in the Higher Division. Please fill the contest form accordingly.
Application Fee: US$25 per submission. 100% of proceeds will be donated to organizations combating gender-based violence.
Gold Medal
Top 1%
Silver Medal
Top 5%
Bronze Medal
Top 10%
Commendation
Top 25%
THREE CONTEST CATEGORIES TO SHOWCASE YOUR TALENTS
Art Entry Requirements
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Entries may be created digitally or by hand. Hand-drawn artwork must be photographed clearly in high resolution before submission.
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Accepted file formats are GIF, JPG, JPEG, PDF, and PNG.
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Each submitted file must not exceed 500 MB.
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Each file must be named using the contestant’s first name and last name exactly as they appear on the contest registration form, using the following format: FirstName_LastName.
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Contestants submitting multiple entries should number each file sequentially. For example: FirstName_LastName_1, FirstName_LastName_2, and so forth.
Infographic Entry Requirements
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Entries may be created digitally or by hand. Hand-drawn artwork must be photographed clearly in high resolution before submission.
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Accepted file formats are GIF, JPG, JPEG, PDF, and PNG.
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Each submitted file must not exceed 500 MB.
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Each file must be named using the contestant’s first name and last name exactly as they appear on the contest registration form, using the following format: FirstName_LastName.
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Contestants submitting multiple entries should number each file sequentially. For example: FirstName_LastName_1, FirstName_LastName_2, and so forth.
Speech Entry Requirements
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Entry Limit: Each contestant may submit only one entry in the Speech category.
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Required Submission Files: Each contestant must submit two separate files: A video recording of the contestant delivering the speech; and a PDF copy of the complete written script.
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Permitted Video Formats: Video submissions must be uploaded in one of the following file formats: AVI, FLV, MP3, MPG, and WMA.
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Speech Length Requirements:
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Lower Division: The speech must be more than 3 minutes and less than 10 minutes in length.
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Higher Division: The speech must be more than 5 minutes and less than 10 minutes in length.
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Incomplete Submissions: A video submission without the written script will be automatically disqualified.
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Academic and Creative Integrity: Submissions containing plagiarized material or more than 50% AI-generated content will be disqualified.
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File-Naming Requirement: Both the video file and the written script must be named using the contestant’s official first and last name as entered on the registration form, in the following format: FirstName_LastName.