The Amplify Competition is an opportunity for Smith College students to share their knowledge, stories and perspectives in a public forum and raise their voices to bring about positive change. The competition specifically seeks to amplify students’ voices as they draw attention to the issues that matter to them. It is open to all current Smith students, and entries can be drawn from assignments completed for a course taken for credit in the past year, or a piece developed outside of a student’s course work.
This year, the Wurtele Center partnered with CEEDS to call for student artwork in the form of banners for the Geothermal Energy Project.
View moreStudents were given the opportunity to perform an original TED-style talk or spoken word poem.
View moreStudents submitted pieces in a variety of forms, ranging from op-eds to longer form articles to zines or other written works.
View moreStudents submitted pieces in a variety of forms, including podcast episodes, short films, interactive websites, and other types of projects.
View moreThis year, the Wurtele Center for Leadership is partnering with the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) and Neilson Library to sponsor the 2023-24 Amplify Public Art Competition. We are issuing a Call for Proposals (CFP) for a temporary public art project in the form of an installation to be displayed on the ground floor of Neilson Library in response to this fall’s exhibition of a curated set of protest posters selected from the Library’s Special Collections, which represent a variety of social, political, and cultural issues. Highlighting the range of artistic forms that protesters have used to inspire change, the fall exhibition invites visitors to explore how institutions, organizations, and individuals raised awareness about pressing issues of social and political activism in the 20th Century.
For the Amplify CFP, we invite proposals from students that take the form of a public art response to the exhibit that was featured in the fall, activating the public space of Neilson’s ground floor in ways that extend the experience of passers-by as they encounter student work on the themes explored in the original exhibit. We will select three proposals to feature, placed next to each other on the expanse of wall after the fall exhibition is removed.
We are now accepting proposals for the Fall 2023 Amplify Public Art Competition. The full Call for Proposals and link to the application are now available. Proposals are due Monday, November 20, 2023.
For the purposes of this competition, we define public speaking as the verbal delivery of knowledge and ideas with the intent of influencing or enhancing a listener’s views on a particular topic or issue. This category will take the form of a public event at which students may speak in one of two formats: a “TED”-style talk of no more than 5 minutes or a piece of original spoken-word poetry of no more than 5 minutes. The event takes place on February 4, 2024, 3-5pm. Judges will be present to evaluate speaking submissions. After the speaking event, videos of public speaking performances will be posted on the Amplify Competition website in order to be considered for the People’s Choice Award. All public speaking awards will therefore be given not at the speaking event but rather at the overall Amplify Award Ceremony on March 4, 2024, 7-8:00pm.
Registration opens Friday, January 5, 2024, for the Amplify Public Speaking Competition. Students interested in participating competition should register no later than Sunday, January 14, 2024. Registered students will receive further communication about additional competition logistics and criteria. Check back here on January 5 for the link to register.
We define public writing as any written piece (published or intended to be published) that seeks to influence or enhance a reader’s views on or raise the visibility or salience of a particular topic or issue. This includes:
In previous year’s competitions, the most successful entries have offered well-researched and deeply nuanced perspectives on current issues. Judges in this category generally look for pieces of writing that offer a fresh take on the topic, and that they can imagine encountering in public media outlets. Fictional writing and poetry have historically not been chosen for prizes in this category. (Poets should consider delivering a spoken-word poem in the Public Speaking category.)
Check back here on January 5, 2024 for the link to submit a piece of public writing.
We define a multimedia piece as any submission that combines different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single project for purposes of communicating information to an audience, in order to influence or enhance an audience member’s perspectives on or raise the visibility or salience of a particular topic or issue. This includes but is not limited to:
In previous years' competitions, the most successful entries have been those that are intentionally designed for the chosen format, whether that is digital or analog, and that utilize sound and/or visual design compellingly to engage the audience. These entries have typically blended creative elements or approaches (for example, storytelling, prose, or poetry) with a clear and well-researched connection to a topic or issue of public interest.
Check back here on January 5, 2024 for the link to submit a multimedia piece.
Students may enter submissions in four categories: Public Speaking, Public Writing, Multimedia, and Public Art. Students submitting to the Public Speaking Category will deliver their submission at a public event at the start of the spring semester. Students participating in the Public Art portion of the competition will respond to our Amplify Call for Proposals to compete for an honorarium and support to complete a specific project. All submissions will be published on a consolidated Amplify website, which will be accessible only within the Smith College community. Submissions will be entered to compete for prizes in each of the four categories, plus a “People’s Choice” Award.
Prize winners will be announced at the Amplify Awards Event on March 4, 2024, 7–8:00 p.m.
The categories of Public Speaking, Public Writing and Multimedia will be judged by a panel of three judges, made up of a combination of current Smith faculty or staff, alumnae and local practitioners.
The judging panel for Public Art will include members from the same categories, but be comprised of five members, including representatives from the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) and the Neilson Library.
Does the submission build connections between areas of knowledge and a public audience? Does it translate outside of an academic or classroom context? Is the piece rooted in a larger understanding of fields of knowledge or social systems, yet convey those learnings to a public audience? Does it show a sophisticated understanding of its audience?
In keeping with Smith’s mission to develop “engaged global citizens and leaders to address society’s challenges,” judges will evaluate submissions on how clearly they articulate a connection to a pressing social, economic, political, or cultural issue. Issues can range from local to global in scale.
While submissions do not need to have been previously published, judges will be looking for pieces that hold considerable promise to be able to enter the public conversation in a meaningful and impactful way around the issue the piece seeks to tackle. Does the piece assert an original idea or offer new perspectives on the issue? Is it likely to draw readers’ or viewers’ attention and influence the debate?
How well-crafted is the piece? Is it well-polished or carefully made? Is the piece complete and does it stand as a whole on its own?
How can I get inspired around developing a public voice?
Attend Amplify programming this fall! The Wurtele Center has curated specific hands-on workshops and events to inspire you and build your skills specifically in the areas of public voice covered by the Amplify Competition. To learn more, sign up for our newsletter by emailing wurtelecenter@smith.edu.
I want to participate but I’m not currently in a class that has a public voice-oriented assignment. Can I still submit something?
Yes, the competition is open to all currently enrolled Smith students. If you would like to work on a piece this fall outside of your coursework and are interested in some advising and feedback, attend fall Amplify programming and reach out to the Wurtele Center for support.
What if I’m not sure which category I should submit it within?
We welcome multimedia submissions as well as those that defy genre conventions. We would encourage you to submit your piece to the category that most closely fits, recognizing that the judges will consider submissions broadly to allow for creativity. Please note that we may also recategorize your submission if it fits better in a different category. If you want some help determining which category to submit under, reach out to Erin Cohn (ecohn@smith.edu).
Will you accept submissions that were co-created by more than one author or artist?
Yes, we will accept collaborative submissions. Should those pieces be selected for a prize, the prize will be split among the creators of the winning submission. Should a student enter a collaborative submission in a category, they may not also submit a separate individual piece in that same category.
I want to submit a piece that advances a controversial idea but I’m concerned about it going public on the competition website. Will people outside of the Smith community be able to see the site?
No, outside viewers will not be able to access the Amplify competition website. We will ensure that the site requires a Smith College login and Duo authentication to be able to access it. In addition, controversial ideas are acceptable, however we will not accept and publish submissions that advance hateful or discriminatory opinions. The Amplify competition’s purpose is to provide space for Smithies to speak for positive change, not challenge the humanity of others.
May I submit a piece anonymously?
No. The purpose of the Amplify Competition is to support Smith students in generating the courage to share their voice publicly, including taking ownership over the ideas and knowledge you are advancing.
I created a piece for a course I took at Smith last year. Can I submit it to this year’s competition?
Yes. We would encourage you to take advantage of opportunities to continue to revise and work on it before submitting this year. Watch for workshops and other feedback opportunities, or reach out to us directly to get some support.
Where can I find help and support as I work on my submission?
The Wurtele Center for Leadership staff is always willing to meet on a one-on-one basis to offer feedback or advise you as you work on developing a submission. Reach out to wurtelecenter@smith.edu to request an appointment.
Depending on the number and quality of submissions, judges may not award all prizes for all categories.
$500 artist honorarium
Three proposals selected, costs of project fabrication also to be covered
Best TED-style Talk:
$750
Best Spoken Word Poem:
$750
First Place: $750
Second Place: $375
$200 to an entry
from any category that receives the most website votes
Look out for sessions and events during these months where you can workshop your piece and get feedback.
Dates |
Description |
|---|---|
| September 18, 2023 | Competition opens for Public Art proposals |
| November 20, 2023 | Public Art proposal deadline |
| December 8, 2023 | Public Art competition winners announced |
| January 5, 2024 | Competition opens for Public Writing and Multimedia categories Registration for Public Speaking category opens |
| January 14, 2024 | Registration deadline for Public Speaking category |
| January 21, 2024 | Public Writing and Multimedia category submission deadline |
| February 4, 2024, 3–5 p.m. | Public Speaking category event |
| February 12, 2024 | Amplify gallery website goes live People's Choice Award voting opens |
| March 4, 2024, 6–8 p.m. | Public Art Reception (6–7 p.m.) Amplify Award Ceremony (7–8 p.m.) |
Audrey Paek ’92, Co-Founder, Visionary Steps Charitable Foundation and Host, From Resilience to Radiance podcast
Meredith Richter, Educational Media Producer, Smith College
Jocelyn Salcedo-Edwards, Digital Engagement Specialist, Smith College
Phoebe Avery ’92, Public Art Manager, Public Art Reston (VA)
Corinna Davis ’23, Engineering Major, Sustainable Energy Education Intern at CEEDS
Leigh Fagin, Jean & David W. Wallace Foundation Director, Smith College Office of the Arts
Scott Richards, AVP for Facilities and Grounds, Smith College
Lynne Yamamoto, Jessie Wells Post Professor of Art, Smith College
Nathalie Ais ’10, Instructional Coach, Cambridge Public Schools and Founder, ASERTIV
Minh Ly, Associate Director for Assessment, Smith College
Borjana Mikic, Rosemary Bradford Hewlett 1940 Professor of Engineering and Co-Director, Collaborative Innovation Concentration, Smith College
Marissa Hoechstetter, Senior Director of Alumnae and Donor Relations, Smith College
Rick Millington, Helen & Laura Shedd Professor of English Language and Literature, Smith College
Lauren Young ’12, Independent Journalist and Writer for Teen Vogue
