Deadline: 20 November 2023
On the eve of the 1-year anniversary of the Woman. Life. Freedom. protest movement in Iran, the Future Art Writers Award presented by MOZAIK Philanthropy, in collaboration with the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University, issues a call for submissions for U.S. and international art writers of all ages and professional backgrounds to submit an abstract (no more than 500 words) outlining a topic for a proposed essay/review/feature/poem/creative writing piece that focuses on the struggle for freedom in Iran.
Woman. Life. Freedom. began as a response to the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, the young Kurdish woman who was killed at the hands of Iran’s so-called morality police. The movement has resulted in more than 500 reported executions and thousands of violent arrests at the hands of Iran’s state security police. Hundreds of women, men, youth, and students, continue to risk their lives to demand freedom and a change to Iran’s leadership.
The intersection of art and activism has played a crucial role in social movements against inequality, oppression and injustice, including in Iran over the past four decades. Whether in the form of posters, film, plays, performances, murals, photography, music or graffiti, art has been instrumental in drawing attention to this movement both inside of Iran and globally in the diaspora. Artists in Iran and across the diaspora are engaging the power and immediacy of art to support and sustain the Woman. Life. Freedom. movement. Facing grave consequences, many artists have already been arrested and jailed for expressing their aspirations for change in Iran.
Instructions
- The proposed written pieces can focus on the art on view in one or both of the WOMAN. LIFE. FREEDOM. virtual exhibitions presented by MOZAIK Philanthropy, which features over 150 contemporary artworks by artists inside Iran and beyond its borders. Writers may also choose to develop a broader analysis of the power of art in social movements as it relates to women’s rights and human rights in Iran.
- $1,000 grants will be made to submitting writers that demonstrate an original and compelling point of view in their proposed essay/review/feature/poem/creative writing piece. The piece that is submitted can address general and specialized art audiences. Writers working on experimental or non-traditional arts writing are also encouraged to apply. BIPOC and other historically-marginalized or underserved art writers are also encouraged to submit a proposal.
Submission Criteria
- Proposals must include:
- Maximum 500-word abstract of the proposed written work on one or both of the WOMAN. LIFE. FREEDOM virtual exhibitions or on any proposed analysis of the art of the movement for freedom in Iran.
- Short bio of no more than 500 words
- Headshot/bio photo
- Samples of previous written work (no more than 5 pages)
- Up to 10 art writers will be selected to develop their proposed essay, poem or creative writing piece. Grants will be awarded upon receipt of the final text, which will undergo editorial review. The final edited piece will be published in MOZAIK Philanthropy’s E-ZINE.
For more information, visit MOZAIK Philanthropy.
