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Amplify Competition

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.

Competition Categories

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 perform a “TED”-style talk of no more than 5 minutes on a topic of their choosing. The event takes place on February 8, 2025, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Judges will be present to evaluate speakers on both content and performance. Attendees of the Public Speaking competition event will have an opportunity to vote to award a $200 People’s Choice prize to one performance. Additionally, judges will announce three $500 prize winners at the Awards Ceremony following the speaking event from 4:00-5:00pm. Performances will be recorded and featured on the Amplify Gallery website after the event.

All students who participate in the Amplify Public Speaking Competition receive support and coaching in advance of their performance through participating in a 1.5-day Public Speaking Workshop, held at Smith College on January 23-24, 2025. Registered speakers will be STRONGLY encouraged to return to campus in time to participate in the Workshop in person (if a student is unable to return to campus early, please contact Megan Lyster to discuss alternatives). The Workshop will help speakers hone the topic of their talk and research their argument, as well as offer some tips and practice speaking with confidence. 

In previous year’s competitions, the most successful talks have been those that focused on a timely and well-researched topic focused on one or two key ideas or calls to action, performed with minimal to no notes. Talks can present a personal connection to the issue for the speaker but are not required to do so; in either case, successful talks tend to be those that combine a human angle with careful research to support the idea being advanced.

Registration

Registration opens Tuesday, October 15, 2024, for the Amplify Public Speaking Competition. Students interested in participating in the competition should register no later than Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Registered students will receive further communication about the J-Term Public Speaking Workshop, as well as additional competition logistics and criteria.

We define public writing as a 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 year’s competition will focus on the op-ed format for all submissions in the Public Writing category. Op-eds are short articles that are grounded in research and express the writer’s informed and focused opinion on a particular issue or topic. Op-eds serve as a form of “thought leadership,” as they are a powerful way of translating a writer’s knowledge and/or experience to influence public opinion. For guidelines on how to write an op-ed, check out these resources from the Jacobson Center.

Op-eds submitted to the competition should be 800-1200 words, and may be written either as part of a Smith College course assignment or as an independently researched and developed piece of writing. While the op-ed does not need to have been published, students submitting work should have a clear sense of which public media outlet(s) they could imagine submitting the piece to.

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. Submissions can present a personal connection to the issue for the author but are not required to do so; in either case, successful submissions tend to be those that combine a human angle with careful research to support the idea being advanced.

Submissions

Students interested in participating in the competition should submit an entry no later than Wednesday, January 22, 2024. 

New to Amplify in 2024-25, the Wild Card category will focus on a different form of public work each year, drawing from practices in the arts and multimedia. For the Wild Card category each year, the Wurtele Center will sponsor events and workshops in the fall with guest practitioners, which will include a deeper dive into that year’s featured format, providing some inspiration and hands-on practice. Check out this year’s ZineFest events in October!

This year’s Wild Card format is the zine, which we define as a small-circulation self-published booklet of original or appropriated texts and images designed to share information, educate readers on an issue, create community, and/or as a call to action. Zines became a powerful form of do-it-yourself publication and activist artistic expression in the late twentieth century with the widespread accessibility of copy machines. Given the wide range of ways they can incorporate text and imagery, as well as their reproducibility, zines hold the potential to function as a powerful methodology of activist leadership.

Submissions can present a personal connection to the issue for the author but are not required to do so; in either case, judges will be looking for submissions that combine a human angle with careful research to support the idea being advanced. We encourage students interested in submitting to this category to consider the Amplify Competition criteria and imagine how your zine might best fit within them as you design and create it.

Submissions may use a range of artistic techniques, but will ultimately need to be able to be scanned/digitized and printed (in black and white or color) at a page size of no more than 8.5’ x 11” (standard letter-size paper). Submissions may include between 8-16 pages, including the front and back covers. (As the zine is folded, each side of the fold constitutes one page even if the content of two pages function together as a single spread.) 

Zines will be submitted in the form of a digital scan (please reach out to ecohn@smith.edu if you need help with scanning your zine). Students who have submitted a zine will then be awarded a small stipend to make 50 copies of the zine to be distributed in the Campus Center as part of the Amplify festivities on Saturday, February 8, 2025. For more information, see the submission form (to be linked in late fall). 

Amplify Competition Overview

Overview

Students may enter submissions in three categories: Public Speaking, Public Writing, and Wild Card: Zines. Students participating in the Public Speaking Category will deliver their talk at a public event at the start of the spring semester. All submissions will be published on a consolidated Amplify Competition gallery website, which will be accessible only within the Smith College community. Submissions will be entered to compete for prizes and a special People’s Choice Award in each of the three categories.

Judges

All categories will be judged by a panel of five judges, made up of a combination of current Smith faculty or staff, alums, local practitioners, and current students.

General Submission Guidelines

  • Participating students must be currently enrolled at Smith College on the date of the submission deadline.
  • Students may submit one entry per category.  Students may not submit the same entry to multiple categories, however.  Therefore, in any given competition year, an individual student may submit up to three distinct entries in the three categories of the Amplify Competition.
  • Students may submit entries that are collaboratively created. The entry should be submitted only once; be sure to enter all co-creators’ names, emails, and 99 numbers in the submission form. Should the entry be chosen for a prize, that prize will be split between the co-creators.
  • Entries may be, but are not required to be, assignments completed for a Smith College course.
  • Entries may be in languages other than English. Please note that the Wurtele Center for Leadership will publish both the original submission and an English translation on the Amplify website.
  • Entries do not need to have been published. However, judges will be looking for pieces that hold promise for future publication; see competition criteria.
  • Competition administrators will review all submissions and reserve the right to reject unsuitable submissions. Submissions will be rejected if they do not meet the submission criteria or if they advance hateful or discriminatory positions. If you are uncertain about whether your submission meets the criteria or are unclear on which category to submit to, please reach out to Erin Cohn (ecohn@smith.edu) in advance of the deadline.

Depth of Discourse

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?

Seeks to Make Positive Change in the World

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.

Promise

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?

Quality of Submission

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? 

These general criteria span all three categories of the Amplify Competition. The Wurtele Center is in the process of developing specific rubrics for each category and will post them here in Fall 2024.

How can I get inspired around developing a public voice?
Attend Amplify programming in the fall and over J-term! 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.

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.

Amplify Competition Prizes

Depending on the number and quality of submissions, judges may not award all prizes for all categories.

Public Speaking

Three prizes of $500

Public Writing

Three prizes of $500

Wild Card: Zines

Three prizes of $500

People’s Choice

$200 prize to one entry in each category

Important Dates

Date

Description

October 15, 2024

Registration opens for J-Term Public Speaking Workshop and Public Speaking competition (workshop strongly recommended for public speaking competitors, but open to all students)

November 15, 2024

Registration closes for J-Term Public Speaking Workshop (students who register for the Public Speaking competition after this date can still sign up for the workshop, space permitting)

January 6, 2025

Competition opens for Public Writing and Zines submissions

January 15, 2025

Final registration deadline for Public Speaking Competition

January 22, 2025

Submission deadline for Public Writing and Zines

February 3, 2025

Amplify gallery website goes live.

People's Choice Award voting opens for Public Writing and Zines.

Copies of submitted zines due to the Wurtele Center

February 7, 2025

People’s Choice voting for Public Writing and Zines closes

February 8, 2025

AMPLIFY DAY

Zines submissions on display (10:00 am - 5:00 pm)

Public speaking competition (1:00 - 3:00 pm)

Reception with refreshments (3:00 - 4:00 pm)

Announcement of awards for all categories (4:00 - 5:00 pm)

Amplify Competition 2023-2024 Judges

Multimedia

Rachael Hagerstrom ’02, Social Media Manager, Smith College

Micaela Heck ’10, Freelance Podcast Producer

Public Art

Leigh Fagin, Jean & David W. Wallace Foundation Director, Smith College Office for the Arts

Leslie Fields, Head of Special Collections Public Services, Smith College Libraries

Angelina Lippert ’07, Chief Curator and Director of Content, Poster House (NYC)

Hamssatou Maiga ’24, Computer Science Major and past Amplify participant

Traci-Ann Wint, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, Smith College

Public Speaking

Joshua Birk, Associate Professor of History, Smith College

René Heavlow AC ’08, Director of Operations and Special Programs, Conway Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Smith College

Imani Wallace (Lyrical Faith), Poet and PhD candidate in Social Justice Education, University of Massachusetts

Public Writing

Christina Barber-Just, Editor, Smith Alumnae Quarterly

Brent Durbin, Associate Professor of Government, Smith College

Lori Tharps ’94, Freelance Journalist, Podcast Host, and Author

And the Winners Are...

Public Art

Sena Amuzu ’24, “Getting to the point...”
Ava Harper ’24J, “Who Would Deny Shelter from the Storm?”
C Willison ’24, “We Will Not Be Quiet! Stonewall Was a Riot! (A Call and Response)“ 

Public Writing

Sophie Gutierrez ’24, “What It Costs to Live in America” (article)
Lauren Thompson ’26, “You Have Probably Seen Me Around Campus” (op-ed)

Public Speaking

Sophie Gutierrez ’24, “11 Minutes” (spoken-word poem)
Chioma Stella Opara ’27, “Reclaiming Your Education” (TED-style talk)

Honorable Mentions
Arisha Faiyas ’26, “Pride Flag in My Pocket: Remapping Dhaka as a Queer Bangladeshi” (TED-style talk)
Shariqa Tasnim Shaila ’24, “In the Echoes of Your Absence” (spoken-word poem)

Multimedia

Sammy Oster ’24, “Museum of No Dancing” (videogame)
Tarika Pather ’25J, “Mapping Ecologies of Resistance: The Black Geographies of Beloved and The Water Dancer” (interactive website)

People’s Choice Award

Sarah Kim ’26, “Home Can Be a Lonely Place” (op-ed)

Amplify Competition 2024 Project Gallery