The theme for this year’s Martin Luther King contest was “Love Illuminates Life.” Entries were due by Nov. 9 to Candy Birch, activity director.

The goal of the Olathe Human Relations Commission (OHRC) annual contest was to increase positive awareness, foster greater understanding and celebrate the diverse groups, which make up the community. According to Birch, the contest was “about getting kids to understand how to accept gender, age, and human bias.”

Because Dr. King inspired millions with his words, the OHRC hopes students’ works for this contest “motivate others to use love in illuminating life just as Dr. King modeled for all humankind.”

For participants submitting writing, entries could be any original written work: essay, poem, etc. It may not exceed 700 words in length, but doesn’t have to be exactly 700 words. The work will be judged based on content, not length.

For participants who submitted works of visual art, it could have been in 2D, 3D, photography, or mixed media. Participants from high schools must have had their entries matted and have an artist’s statement.

For participants who submitted works of multi-media, entries can be made in any of the following categories on a CD/DVD: interactive web media, animation, dramatic video, graphic design, documentary video and, multi-media presentation. Entries must be over one minute and less than five minutes.

The judging for the high school division will be done differently than that of the middle school division. Three semi-finalists will be determined in each of the three categories. All written, visual, and multi-media entries will be judged on theme, originality, craftsmanship, and creativity.

All participants’ entries must reflect the theme of the contest and include an entry form, which they can get from Birch. Participants must staple their entry form to each entry.