“Creating for a Cause: The Power of an Art Contest in Cervical Cancer Awareness”
The art of art itself has been part of the human experience for as long as our history has been recorded, reaching across every culture, language, and community in a way that nothing else has ever been able to as successfully, meaningfully, and impactfully. Art can reach places where language falls short as it captures the essence of experience and emotion. Art can begin conversations to raise awareness and educate, can challenge and change perspectives, can inspire action and provide the feeling of being understood by capturing the greatest and the worst parts of the human experience – and everything in between.
On November 17, 2020, World Health Organization published the Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem. This strategy details “a vision of a world where cervical cancer is eliminated as a public health problem” and inspired the creation of an annual Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action. Each year, this day provides an opportunity for conversation, education, advocacy, innovation, and community focused on preventing new cases of cervical cancer through Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer screening to eliminate cervical cancer in our lifetime.
The 4 Girls & Women and 4 Communities By Communities teams are once again hosting our:
Create for a Cause: Cervical Cancer Awareness and Prevention Art Contest.
We believe in the power of art – especially when it is created to address health-related topics. Our art contests are an invitation to our communities to share their talents and voices to help raise awareness and support. Through all types of art, barriers and stigmas can be addressed, misconceptions can be corrected, and connections can be made. Art can also provide a space for people to express their thoughts and feelings, to share their experiences, to feel a sense of belonging, to be understood in new ways, and to heal.
Last year, we received 43 pieces from girls and women across Nigeria featuring personal and observed experiences with cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, education on the HPV vaccine, cervical cancer screening, and cervical cancer itself, and reliable education to address misconceptions and misinformation by providing accurate health information in easy-to-understand ways. This year, we hope to reach even more individuals, more communities, and more hearts.
By participating in this art contest, each piece joins a community of Nigerian Girls, Women, and Communities as we continue to work towards a Nigeria without cervical cancer. If you are ready to join us (or know someone else who may be) we invite and encourage you to submit your art (drawings, paintings, photographs, videos, poems, songs) to raise awareness and encourage HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening to prevent cervical cancer from ever developing or to catch it early enough to treat and cure.
Details for the 2024 Create for a Cause:
- Art will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. WAT on Monday, October 25, 2024
- Applicants must be residents of Nigeria and between the ages of 14 – 65 years old
- All pieces must be original work created by the applicant
- Each piece will first be reviewed by a panel of judges to select the six pieces to advance to the social media engagement portion of the art contest to identify the top three pieces and award these artists with a cash prize (additional details included here)
- Applications can be submitted via Google Form or via email to kokelu@wustl.edu
- Questions can be sent to kokelu@wustl.edu, abdulhammedbabatunde99@gmail.com, and 4gwog@gmail.com
If you need some inspiration to get started, visit the 4 Communities By Communities website to read an interview with last year’s 3rd place winner, Taiwo Idris, sharing how their art helped raise awareness and inspired others to take action on cervical cancer prevention.
