First Person Arts » COMPETITIONS

Announcing: A Nationwide Competition from First Person Arts

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:27:06 +0000

Find out more at the competition site…

Winners of the 2008 First Person Impressions Competition

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:49:59 +0000

The winners of the 2008 First Person Impressions competition have been selected:

Memoir
1st place: Cushing’s Final Essay, Frances Grote
2nd place: The Wishing Chair, Sylvia M. DeSantis
3rd place: The Palazzo, Gail Wilkinson
Honorable Mention: Walled City, Ed Weinberg

Video
1st place: Work in Progress, Sarah Ginsburg
2nd place: Route 66, Carter Liotta
3rd place: The Amazing Barry Silver, Andrew David Watson
Honorable Mention: Mr. America, J. Michael Whalen

Photo
1st place: Megan Rossman
2nd place: Nicolas Silberfaden
3rd place: Sarah Barr

No honorable mention was awarded in the photography competition.

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:47:02 +0000

Announcing….

A national competition seeking the best videos, photographs, and stories describing how individuals, families and communities are managing during these hard times.

One of the unexpected outcomes of the Great Depression was a decade of creative outpouring that covered the U.S. map. Under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), thousands of artists fanned across the country documenting the experiences of everyday Americans as they worked to maintain their families, their communities, and their way of life in the face of a national economic crisis.

Now, as Americans are again experiencing financial hardship and uncertainty, First Person Arts invites artists to document how this generation of Americans is coping.

Inspired by the artists of the WPA, who documented the experiences of Americans in every part of the country, First Person Arts is asking artists to help craft the first draft of the history of our era by capturing, in photographs, on video, or in writing, the stories of America and its people during these difficult times.

Our goal is to gather stories from all 50 states.

Artists:
We are looking for short memoirs and essays, documentary films, and photographs that depict Americans from all walks of life. We are especially interested in stories that are unique to your family, your community, your town, your region – that capture the idiosyncratic things that are happening where you live – the slices of life that, taken together, will give us a First Person picture of America in 2009 – the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful.

Guidelines:
Writing submissions – up to 2,500 words.
Film and video submissions – up to five minutes, excluding credits.
Photography submissions – may include up to five photographs, with or without accompanying text of up to 100 words per image.

Submission deadline: June 30, 2009

Finalists in each category (writing, film, and photography) will be featured on the First Person Arts website (www.firstpersonarts.org) and at the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art, November 4-8, 2009. First place winners in each genre will be invited to Philadelphia to participate in the festival. A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the best story overall.

Entry Fee: $10

Best Impressions tonight!

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:16:54 +0000

After the Complaint Choir tonight, the winners from the 2008 Best Impressions competition show their stuff. Check out Nicolas Silberfaden’s work that turns the tables on the Paparazzi. Or see the big-screen premieres of the prize-winning films, among them Mr. America by J. Michael Whalen:

Tickets for tonight are no longer available on-line, but you can buy them at the door. Come early for the Philly Complaint Choir performance and stay after for Underground America!

Heroes of Grand Slam: Part 2

admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:05:17 +0000

Heroes of Grand Slam brings you the cast of Story Slammers you’ll see go head-to-head at the 2008 First Person Festival Grand Slam on Saturday November 15th from 9-11pm. This one will sell out, so buy your tickets right away! You can make a day of it and check out Girls Rock from 3-6 pm and Doubletime! from 6:30 to 8:30pm.

Here are our heroes, and these are their stories:

Sandy Beaches, winner of March’s “The Road Not Taken”

Kevin Lee, winner of April’s “The Awkward Pause”

You’ve got one more chance to get into the pantheon of Philadelphia storytellers next week at L’Etage. The last regularly scheduled slam of the season will be “Strange Coincidence” on Tuesday, October 28th. Doors open at 7:30 and the slam begins at 8:30.

Heroes of Grand Slam: Part 1

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:34:20 +0000

Here are our heroes, and these are their stories:

Kendra Gaeta, winner of January’s “Good Intentions”

Ingrid Wiese, winner of February’s Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection)

You’ve got one more chance at admission to this pantheon of Philadelphia storytellers next week at L’Etage. The last regularly scheduled slam of the season will be “Strange Coincidence” on Tuesday, October 28th. Doors open at 7:30 and the slam begins at 8:30.

Winners of First Person Impressions 2008

admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:29:35 +0000

The winners for the 2008 First Person Impressions competitions have been selected:

Memoir
1st place: Cushing’s Final Essay, Frances Grote.
2nd place: The Wishing Chair, Sylvia M. DeSantis.
3rd place: The Palazzo, Gail Wilkinson.
Honorable Mention: Walled City, Ed Weinberg

Video
1st place: Work in Progress, Sarah Ginsburg.
2nd place: Route 66, Carter Liotta.
3rd place: The Amazing Barry Silver, Andrew David Watson
Honorable Mention: Mr. America, J. Michael Whalen.

Photo
1st place: Megan Rossman
2nd place: Nicolas Silberfaden.
3rd place: Sarah Barr

No honorable mention was awarded in the photography competition.

See the winning work for the first time at First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art:

Buy tickets right here!

Best Impressions
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 12th
Time: 7-8PM
Location: Painted Bride
Cost: $10

First Person Impressions Update

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:20:31 +0000

Sincerest apologies if your Impressions entry was bounced back. We’re having a little technical difficulty with our e-mail here and since it’s taking a little longer than we anticipated to sort it out, we’ll accept submissions through midnight on Monday August 18th. Give us a call if you have any questions: 267-402-2057

One more month to leave your Impression!

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:27:47 +0000

A look back– A 2007 Documentary Competiton Entry, “Chant to Your Mother”

Taruja — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:00:06 +0000

The word “spirituality” carries so many different meanings for different people (no matter how much Webster tries to limit it to one).
Take a few minutes to immerse yourself in one unique woman’s spiritual journey of finding a sense of connectedness and the divine feminine in “Chant to Your Mother.”

Have your own unique take on the meaning of life? Create an impression and tell us your story by submitting an entry to this year’s documentary competition, “First Person Impressions.”