Young Human Rights Songwriter and Performer Awards

Enter the Amnesty Young Songwriter Awards from Amnesty International on Vimeo.

The Amnesty Young Human Rights Songwriter and Performer Awards inspire young people to discover the power of their own voices.

Listen to last year's winning song from Truro & Penwith College (right)

After learning about the history of protest songs, students are invited to write their own lyrics about an issue they care about through an easily accessible lesson perfect for English and Humanities categories.

The performance category offers the opportunity to put their words to music and develop a performance.

For classroom or cross-curricular learning and whole school theme days. Judging panels include celebrities from the musical world.

YOUNG HUMAN RIGHTS SONGWRITER AND PERFORMER AWARDS For: Schools (English, Humanities,Social Studies, Music) and youth groups Skills and knowledge: Research,Literacy, Social, Performance, Thinking, Musicianship, Creative, Cross-Curricular learning. Resources: Coming soon - A comprehensive new scheme of work with lesson plans, films and PowerPoints on protest music and social change, and a guide to lyric writing. Samples available to download Recognition: National prizes. All participants receive certificates. Entry deadline 17 February 2014 | Online entry from 11 Oct  Read more info about the Songwriter and Performer Awards | Download flyer (pdf)
	DOWNLOAD NEW RESOURCES	From 11 October ONLINE ENTRY FORM	Coming soon GUIDELINES T&Cs

Got a question? Contact us on est@amnesty.org.uk | +44 (0)20 7033 1596 More: Sign up for TeachRights email updates | Download education resources Find out about Amnesty youth groups | Invite an Amnesty speaker to visit your school

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More about the Songwriter and Performer Awards

There are two ways to enter:

Lyrics: Write lyrics that will get people to take action about something you care about. No musical expertise is needed: you just need pen, paper and something you want to say.

Performance: You or your friends can turn your words into a performance that can inspire people and get your message across. Format: MP3 or video.

What can entrants write/sing about?

You can write on any topical issue linked to human rights. These can be:

• Issues from the local school or community such as bullying/racism/sexism/homophobia
• An issue in the UK such as treatment of refugees, homelessness, Travellers'
  rights, poverty
• Global issues such as poverty, child labour, child soldiers, political prisoners, the death penalty, torture or human rights in a particular country.

Age categories

Both the lyrics and performance categories are divided into two age groups.

Younger students enter: Upper Primary and Lower Secondary (Years 3-9 in England and Wales, Years 4-10 in Northern Ireland and Primary 3-7 & Secondary 1-2 in Scotland)

Older students enter: Upper Secondary and  Further Education (Years 10-13 in England and Wales, Years 11-14 in Northern Ireland and Secondary 3-6 in Scotland)

There will be one winner in each of the four categories.

Entries to the Best Performance category are automatically entered into the Best Lyrics category and you should make sure that you include a copy of your lyrics with your entry.

All entrants must be between the ages of 7-21.

Prizes

There will be a finalist and two runners up in each category. Prizes for these include:

• Be invited on a day trip to London for an awards ceremony at Amnesty International's UK offices
• Have their lyrics and/or performances published on Amnesty's website
• Receive Amnesty goody bags, including T-shirts, badges, mugs

Judging Criteria

In the Lyrics category the judges will be looking for entries where the lyrics:

• Inspire interest and action on a current human rights issue
• Show creative, appropriate and effective use of rhythm, rhyme and repetition

Entries to the Performance categories will be judged on:

• The quality of the lyrics
• If the performance is spoken word: the quality of delivery including the use of intonation, rhythm and expression to create a compelling piece about a current human rights issue
• If the performance is a musical performance: the capacity of the music and performance to engage and inspire interest and action on a current human rights issue

Don't worry if the recording of the performance isn't perfect. Judges will not judge the technical quality of the recording. They are looking for a performance which inspires listeners to connect with the human rights issue at the heart of your protest song.

Entering the competition

Performance entrants will enter using our online entry form (coming soon) and can upload an audio file or link to a video as part of their entry. Performances must be a copy of the lyrics. All performances are automatically entered in the lyrics competition as well. For details see the awards guidelines (coming soon). The deadline for all entries is 17 February 2014.

Lyrics can be entered using our online entry form or posted to us using the lyrics template (both coming soon).
To enter the competition you will need to agree to our terms and conditions. See our Guidelines, Terms and Conditions and FAQs (coming soon) 

Amnesty Protest Songs by AmnestyUK