Apply Now: 2026 Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Competition

• Must be an undergraduate or graduate student that is a declared Studio Arts or Immersive Media Design major OR currently enrolled in a Department of Arts course.
• Any visual art medium, 2D or 3D.
• Installation of work will be in March 2026. 

First Place artwork will be kept and added to the Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland will have the right to keep and display the artwork as well as reproduce the art and images of the art, with credit given to the artist. The artist shall also retain the rights to use and reproduce the artwork. Past artwork has been awarded to Sadat Lecturers at UMD including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and others.

• Intent to Submit Artwork submissions should be made via this Google Form by  February 20, 2025 at 5 p.m.
• The artist's statement and a photo of the artwork must be submitted via this Google Form by February 27, 2025 at 5 p.m.
• All works submitted must be ready for installation. It is not necessary that pieces be framed but they must be ready for display. For example, paintings should be wired in the reverse of the stretcher frame, allowing them to be hung from picture hooks.
• The artist is responsible for transporting the artwork to the Herman Maril Gallery at the designated drop-off time and, if the piece is not selected for first place, collecting the piece from the gallery after the Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Exhibition.
• Artwork must be dropped off at the Herman Maril Gallery in March 2026. A specific date range will be provided.

Cash Prizes:

• 1st Place Prize of $2,500
• 2nd Place Prize of $1,000
• 3rd Place Prize of $750
• Honorable Mention Prize of $250

Winners Luncheon:

• Winners will be recognized at a luncheon in April 2026. 

• Students must either be a declared English major (undergraduate or graduate, including MFAs, MAs and PhDs), a declared Creative Writing minor; be currently enrolled in an English Department creative writing class or a current member of the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House.
• Students should submit a single unpublished poem that responds to the theme as expressed in the above quote. The poem should not be longer than two pages.

Winners will be added to the Sadat Poetry for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to display and reproduce the poem, with credit given to the writer. The Writer shall also retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce the poem. Past competition-winners in the art prize have been awarded to Sadat Lecturers at UMD including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and others. 

• Submissions should be made via this Google Form.
• Submissions should not include the student’s name within the document or in the document name; submissions with identifying information will be disqualified.
• Poems in other languages are welcome if they are accompanied by an English translation.
• All submissions must be the student’s original work and previously unpublished.
• Materials should be submitted as PDF.
• Complete submissions by Friday, March 20 at 5 p.m. via the provided Google Form.
• Questions can be sent to arts@umd.edu.

Cash Prizes:

• 1st Place Prize of $1,250.00
• 2nd Place Prize of $750.00

Winners Luncheon:

• Winners will be recognized and read their poem at a luncheon in April 2026. 

• Must be an undergraduate and graduate student currently enrolled in a degree program in the UMD School of Music.
• This award is for a composer of a composition written for 2-6 musicians that addresses the year’s given theme. Submission of a complete score is required. A MIDI or acoustic recording is highly recommended, though not required. A statement (one double-spaced page, maximum) describing how the submission addresses the year’s given theme is required. The composition should be no more than 8 minutes and ideally 3-5 minutes in length. Consultation with your private teacher is required.

Recordings of the winners will be added to the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to continue to utilize the recordings, with credit given to the students. Recordings will be featured on the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and Arts for All websites.  For the composition category, the composer shall retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce the composition and recording.  Composers are asked to acknowledge the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Prize in future performances and publications. 

• Submissions should be made via this Google Form.
• Materials should be submitted as PDF and MP3 sound file.
• Complete submissions by Friday, March 20 at 5 p.m. via the provided Google Form.
• Questions can be sent to arts@umd.edu.

Recordings of the winners will be added to the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to continue to utilize the recordings, with credit given to the students. Recordings will be featured on the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and Arts for All websites.  For the composition category, the composer shall retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce the composition and recording.  Composers are asked to acknowledge the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Prize in future performances and publications. 

Cash Prizes:

• 1st Place Prize of $1,250.00

Winners Luncheon:

• Winners will be recognized and perform their work at a luncheon in April 2026. 

• Must be an undergraduate and graduate student currently enrolled in a degree program in the UMD School of Music.
• This award is for a performance of an existing composition written for 2-6 musicians that addresses the year’s given theme. An audio recording is required. A statement (one double-spaced page, maximum) describing how the submission addresses the year’s given theme is required. The composition should be no more than 8 minutes and ideally 3-5 minutes in length. Consultation with a studio teacher or chamber music coach is required.

Recordings of the winners will be added to the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to continue to utilize the recordings, with credit given to the students. Recordings will be featured on the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and Arts for All websites.  For the composition category, the composer shall retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce the composition and recording.  Composers are asked to acknowledge the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Prize in future performances and publications. 

• Submissions should be made via this Google Form.
• Materials should be submitted as PDF and MP3 sound file.
• Complete submissions by Friday, March 20 at 5 p.m. via the provided Google Form.
• Questions can be sent to arts@umd.edu.

Recordings of the winners will be added to the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to continue to utilize the recordings, with credit given to the students. Recordings will be featured on the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and Arts for All websites.  For the composition category, the composer shall retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce the composition and recording. Composers are asked to acknowledge the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Prize in future performances and publications. 

Cash Prizes:

• 1st Place Prize of $1,250.00
• 2nd Place Prize of $750.00

Winners Luncheon:

• Winners will be recognized and perform their work at a luncheon in April 2026. 

Must be an undergraduate or graduate student who has affiliation with one of the academic programs or the recognized student clubs that focus on film and video production: 

• Cinema and Media Studies program
• The Department of Communication
• The School of Journalism
• Immersive Media Design program
• The School of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies
• The Maryland Filmmakers Club
• Veritas Short Films

Films that address this year’s competition theme—Democracy in Action—will be eligible for consideration. We encourage you to think broadly and creatively about what the theme means and how the ideas and values embodied by the competition’s theme might best be expressed and represented by the moving image. All forms of film—fiction, documentary, animation, experimental—will be eligible for submission.

Films for submission to the competition must be approximately 3 minutes in length and will be judged according to how they address, evoke, or otherwise engage with the competition theme. Once your application has been submitted, you will receive instructions for uploading your film in digital form to a secure server. 

Winning films will be added to the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to continue to utilize the films, with credit given to the students. The films will be featured on the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the Arts for All websites.  The filmmakers shall retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce their films. Filmmakers will be asked to acknowledge the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Prize in future viewings and publications.

• Submissions should be made via this Google Form. Once your application has been submitted, you will receive instructions for uploading your film in digital form to a secure server.
• Materials should be submitted as either a .mp4 or .mov
• Complete submissions by Friday, March 6, 2026 by 11:59p.m. via the provided Google Form.
• Please stay tuned for upcoming information regarding necessary film releases.
• Questions can be sent to arts@umd.edu.

Winning films will be added to the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Permanent Collection. The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the University of Maryland will have the right to continue to utilize the films, with credit given to the students. The films will be featured on the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the Arts for All websites.  The filmmakers shall retain ownership and rights to use and reproduce their films.  Filmmakers will be asked to acknowledge the Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Prize in future viewings and publications.

Cash Prizes: 

• 1st Place Prize of $1,500
• 2nd Place Prize of $750
• Honorable mention: $250

Winners Luncheon:

• Winners will be recognized at a luncheon in April 2026.