WVXU Democracy & Me Holds Contest for Talawanda Students
By Amanda Weatherwax· Mar 17, 2025
Oxford, OH--On Thursday, Mar. 13, 2025, Kahvah Whittaker, Program Coordinator for WVXU Public Radio’s Democracy & Me and Classics for Kids Programs, visited Talawanda High School to announce this year’s Democracy & Me Student Voices Contest.
Thirty THS students were present in the THS Media Center as Ms. Whittaker explained the purpose of Democracy and Me which includes community outreach, collaboration, and civic engagement. The program provides resources to students and teachers grades 6 through college and focuses on fostering an engaged citizenry.
Ms. Whittaker explains the purpose of Dem & Me to THS Students
Each year, the program sponsors a Student Voices Contest for Cincinnati-area students. The program creates a different, timely prompt that gets students thinking about themselves and their communities. According to Democracy & Me, “the Student Voices Competition encourages creativity, thoughtful introspection, and diverse perspectives on a topic relevant to today’s students.” In 2024, Talawanda High School student Alaina Meyer won the first-place prize for an original song that she wrote and performed and THS student Krupa Patel won runner-up for an original essay.
This year, Ms. Whittaker announced that because of Talawanda’s overwhelming participation in the contest in the past there would be a special Talawanda-only contest. Students have until April 17th to submit original work. Here are the contest guidelines:
Democracy & Me Student Voices Competition: Talawanda 2025
Eligibility:
Students currently enrolled in 8-12th grade at Talawanda Middle School or Talawanda High School. Students should use their Talawanda email account when submitting their work.
The Prompt:
Each generation feels misunderstood to some degree. Boomers are stereotypically said to be “out of touch” with current times. Generation X is said to be cynical and resistant to change. Millennials are often called entitled by older generations and “cringe” by younger generations. Gen Z is said to be addicted to technology and uninterested in face-to-face interaction. Gen Alpha has been described as the generation of “iPad kids” who ignore the world around them. How do these negative stereotypes impact members of your generation? Also describe a societal issue that your generation is passionate about and how collaboration across people from different generations could help facilitate change?
The Submissions and Judging:
Written essays can be no more than 500 words in length
Entries in other media (audio or video) can be no longer than 3 minutes in length
Artwork, up to three pieces on a single theme, may be submitted. Artwork must be accompanied by a one-paragraph artist’s statement that explains the medium used and how the artwork addresses the prompt.
The use of valid sources to support the author’s theme will be considered in judging, along with originality of thought and quality of expression
Work must be original and not done with the assistance of AI
Only one submission per student
The Deadline:
Submissions must be sent by 3:00 p.m. on April 17, 2025 to Kahvah.Whittaker@cinradio.org. Please include the words “Talawanda Dem & Me Submission” in the subject heading. For TMS students, please have your English teacher submit your work on your behalf by the deadline.
The Prizes:
One $500 prize for Best Written Submission (Essay or Poem)
One $500 prize for Best Creative Submission (Spoken Word Poetry, Song, Visual Art, Podcast, or Video)
One Additional $500 Judge’s Choice Prize
Winners will be announced at THS on May 20, 2025 at 11:45 a.m.
The Democracy & Me Program is fully sponsored by the Charles H. Dater Foundation and “empowers students, supports teachers, and helps build citizens.”
