Dr. Sarah L. Webb launched the Colorism Healing Writing Contest in 2014 to raise awareness about colorism among all people and to provide a productive, creative outlet for self-expression and healing. Since then, the contest has reached hundreds of people across the globe from a wide range of ages, ethnicities, nationalities, languages, and experiences. Past participants have expressed how the contest played a pivotal moment in their colorism healing journeys.
Submissions are CLOSED.
The 2022 Colorism Healing Writing Contest is now closed and in the judging process. We would like to thank everyone for their submissions and participation in this year’s contest! We are excited to read your work! This year’s guest judges will be shared here and across social media in the coming days.
The results of this year’s contest will be announced at the end of May! In the meantime, please feel free to check out the archive page here, browse past contest and submissions, and get to know the 2022 judges who are introduced below!!
Introducing the 2022 Guest Judges
Lyrical Faith is a Black American Educator, Activist and Spoken Word Poet from The Bronx, NY. She is the 3rd ranked Woman Poet in the World as of the 2022 Women of the World Poetry Slam, an inaugural Bronx Poet Laureate finalist, a two-time recipient of the Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO Award, and the 2015 Syracuse University Poet of the Year.
She’s a graduate of the Public Relations program at Syracuse University, a Masters degree recipient of the Higher Education & Student Affairs program at NYU, and a current Social Justice Education Doctoral student at UMass Amherst studying the intersections of arts and activism.
Through her poetry, Lyrical Faith strives to inspire, educate and advocate for intersectional and institutional issues by merging the arts and activism from a faith-based worldview.
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/lyricalfaithpoetry/
https://www.facebook.com/lyricalfaithpoetry/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7oMtpPFhRxd2l23TAxtDzQ
Have you checked out her “BLACK POEM” yet? https://youtu.be/hIazeB6mBto
Q: Among your many life paths is the one of an artist: how important is it for writers to discuss the topic of colorism?
A: Colorism plagues many communities of color and is the root cause of very harmful ideologies. Writers shed light on the discussions that make us uncomfortable and help people feel seen to combat those issues.
Aaron Geter is a North Carolina native — Raleigh born, Zebulon raised, and currently residing in Charlotte, NC. Geter is a Black American Spoken Word Poet and Recording Artist-Engineer with an extensive background in Performing Arts & Music Production. He began his entertainment journey at the young age of six and has grown into a well known creative art enthusiast. Aside from the art, Geter has a deep love for nature, childlike fun, indulgence in relaxation, and family. He aspires to help create bridges for other Black artists to reach their dreams as he crafts his own.
LINKS:
Instagram –
https://instagram.com/AaronGeter
Twitter ->
https://twitter.com/AaronGeter
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/realaarongeter
YouTube –
https://youtube.com/MrAaronGeter
TikTok –
https://tiktok.com/@aarongeterentertainment
To hear spoken word projects by Aaron Geter as well as his music, also check out his Linktree. (https://linktr.ee/aarongeter)
Q: Among your many life paths is the one of an artist: how important is it for writers to discuss the topic of colorism?
A: I believe in artists being true to themselves, and if colorism is part of your truth, it should be part of your art.
As a Black American man, Aaron Geter has sought to enlighten & inspire with truth of his own by highlighting the injustices of oppression, as well as the neglected beauty of the Black American, within his work with pieces like “Black Beautiful Queen” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFyxZUB-OSw) & “UNDOUBTABLY” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4wVtyMoEog).
Le’ianna Nicole is a southern black woman storyteller currently residing in Charlotte, NC. She is a weaver of stories through film, poetry, theatre, and photography. She seeks to intimately explore the lived experiences of Black women across the Afro-Diaspora, creating havens of collective healing and empowerment. Through her work, she hopes to explore black ancestral memory, contribute to liberation movements, uncover/dismantle systems of oppression, and live in the duality of black joy and rage. She holds a BA from Winthrop University in Theatre Performance. Beyond the art she creates, Le’ianna is a lover of nature, a hopeless romantic for words, a lover of all things black culture, astrology, beaches, and a chicken wing connoisseur! She seeks to actualize all the things she’s imagined and live her life as a love letter to all black women including herself. When she isn’t creating you can find her laughing hysterically at her Twitter feed, mixing up herbs, or somewhere sunbathing.
LINKS:
Website –
https://leiannagladden0.wixsite.com/leiannanotleana
Instagram –
http://https//www.instagram.com/leiannanotleana/
Q: Among your many life paths is the one of an artist: how important is it for writers to discuss the topic of colorism?
A: Colorism is a byproduct of the white settler colonialism that continues to plague and oppress us all, any writer dedicated to freedom and liberation must address this in some way. I aim to create art in the tradition of the revolutionary artist that came before me like Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, and so forth these women were more than artists but cultural workers. Creating art in service to their community and I feel any artist of the global majority or of the marginalized must use their work to be of service to their community and help dream up freedom.
Introducing the 2022 Cover Artist
We are SO thrilled to announce the 2022 Colorism Healing Writing Contest anthology cover artist — Kenrick Jobe!!
Kenrick Jobe is a 27 year old visual artist based in Lexington, North Carolina. He’s aspiring to be a positive example for both visual artists and people of color internationally.
Well, Kenrick, you and your incredible art are in GREAT company! Please be sure to check out artwork he already has on his website available for purchase: https://www.kenrickjobe.com/
Also, follow Kenrick on Instagram and Twitter! (@KenrickJobe)
AND NOW, FOR THE RESULTS…….
2022 Colorism Healing Writing Contest Winners
1st Place
My Brown Girls, They Gather Me | Jeanine DeHoney
2nd Place
Confidence and Self-Love Won’t Erase Colorism | Celeste Graham
3rd Place
Skin Deep Meets Deep Skin | Maha Ashraf
Here are the 2022 editors’ picks!!
Colourism and the English Language | by Portia C. Allen
CREAM i
CREAMii
CREAMiii | by Aprili Amani
Berry Picking | by Olivia Wilks
What Color is the Earth | by Rapti Mukherjee
Napturally Black | by Zaria Eleanya
Healing Colorism: New Agreement | by Jasmine Bailey
Black is Good | by Rachel Olaniyi
Healing Is ‘Your’ Journey | by Disha Walia
The Black Bird’s Back | by Saheli Dey
How You See Me | by JR Rudolph
Natural Woman
Twilight Zone
Know Your Worth | by Sergina Maignan
Woman to Woman, Girl to Girl | by Paris Daniels
The Praise and the Shame | by Daisy Bravo
My Pigment is Brown – So You’re Mean to Me? | by Hector Rocha
Dating While Dark | by Maya Williams
washing machine skin | by magdalena johnson
Don’t Tell Me | by Clara Olivo
Still I Breathe | by Victoria Ojo
Porque Soy Una Mujer Negra: Una Declaración a Mí Misma | by Rozlen Jeter
Snakes | by Chelsey Phan
Picture an Arab Man
The Marketplace of Desire | by Makiya Davis-Bramble
My Light-Skinned Baby | by Simone DeVone
beauty doesn’t matter | by Divyashri Babu
The Girl with All the Darkness | by Elizabeth Upshur
Seven Days of Skin Color
KETANJI | by Alejandro Jaliff
Aftershocks | by Fareh Malik
Tears | by Hazel Benhura
The Legacy of Color | by Lara Rathod
Dark Child | by Kishara Griffin
Just a Preference | by Grace Reid and Maya Williams
Boy,
Knock Out | by Naila Buckner
De Aqui y De Alla (From Here and From There) | by Citlaly Quiroz
CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE ^-^
You all will have a chance to (virtually) meet not only the 2022 CHWC authors but the judges and cover artist as well at this year’s book launch in the fall! More details will be made available soon for newsletter subscribers and on social media!
Purchase the 2022 Colorism Writing Contest Anthology NOW!
2022 Awards
1st Place → $125; plus publication online + in print in the 2022 anthology
2nd Place → $100; plus publication online + in print in the 2022 anthology
3rd Place → $75; plus publication online + in print in the 2022 anthology
Runner Up → $50; plus publication online + in print in the 2022 anthology
Editors’ Pick → publication online + in print in the 2022 anthology
2022 Contest Rules
The Colorism Healing Writing Contest is open to anyone anywhere in the world! If you have a story–or multiple ones–that they want to tell, this is the contest for you!
We are looking for pieces that directly address the topic of colorism—colorism is the marginalization and systemic oppression of people with darker skin tones and privileging of people with lighter skin tones. While other topics, including racism, are equally important, this contest is meant to provide a platform for specifically addressing colorism. The following links might be helpful in helping you determine if your submission is the right fit for this contest:
Submission Requirements
- Poem submissions should be 1500 words or less
- Fiction submissions should be 1500 words or less
- Nonfiction submissions should be 1500 words or less
- You may submit 1-3 pieces
- We do not accept pieces that have already been published in print or online (This does not include personal or private social media profiles or forums)
- You must be the original author of the piece that you submit
- Family members of judges may enter the contest for publication but will not qualify for cash prizes
- By submitting to the contest, you agree to have your writing published online and in print if it is selected
If you would like to support the contest, you can donate via
@colorismhealing (Venmo)
$ColorismHealing (CashApp)
PayPal.me/slwch (Paypal)