Book to Action: Teen Storytelling Contest (Temecula)

Submissions Open: July 15 - July 27

Teens are invited to submit original artwork, presentations, or videos telling the story of a notable Native person, accompanied by a short essay. Students can drop off their contest submissions at one of our Law Library Branches (Temecula, Palm Springs, Riverside)

Grand Prize: $500 Scholarship

All submissions must include a completed 2026 Storytelling Contest Submission Form (PDF).

Submission Guidelines:

• Submissions must follow the storytelling contest theme and goal.
• Short essay must be 500 words minimum in length and titled the name of your artwork. Essay should explain the creative process, background of the chosen Native person, and 5 credible citations.  
• Submissions must be original pieces of work. Commissioned pieces, stock images, copyrighted work, AI-generated art, etc. will NOT be accepted.
• The Storytelling contest is open to a wide range of submissions including (painting, performance, photography, video, animation, digital art, line art, ceramics, sculpture, textile, etc.)
• Artists are responsible for submitting their project in a displayable format.  

Judging Criteria

A panel of judges will independently evaluate submissions following a scoring rubric. Each submission will be scored in 4 categories. Each score will then be tallied together to give each work a rating out of 80. Totals from each judge will be averaged together to give each work a final score. The importance of each category is represented by the total number of points that can be earned. The rubric is as follows:

• Creativity/Originality (30) – Does the storytelling stand out from other entries? Does it embody the artist’s unique voice and perspective? How developed is the project on telling the story of a notable Native person?
• Adherence to Theme (20) – Does the storytelling submission take inspiration from Notable Native People by Adriene Keene & Ciara Sana? Does the submission clearly display the story of a notable native person in a clear and presentable manner?
• Technical Skill (20) – Does the student show mastery over their medium of choice? Are their choices deliberate and well executed? Is their essay well developed with the appropriate MLA writing structure?
• Overall Visual and Emotional Impact (10) – How much does the storytelling solicit critical thought and an emotional response from audiences? Is the piece well composed and visually pleasing? 

Selected submissions may be featured in the final community exhibit.