The Mahsa Amini Award

This award is named after the young Iranian girl whose death was a source of inspiration for the Woman-Life-Freedom movement. The Mahsa Amini award aims to promote humanity and freedom by supporting human right activists across the globe, regardless of their nationality, gender, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, age, political party, etc. 

The 2025 Mahsa Amini Social Media Contest

This year's award focuses on supporting The Remedy Project. The Remedy Project assists people detained within the Federal Bureau of Prisons with directly addressing issues about the conditions of their confinement through the administrative remedy process. They identify prison conditions as a serious social concern, and their vision is to end this crisis using direct advocacy, organizing, and narrative change.  Use the Mahsa Amini Brightspace website to submit your video. The submission deadline is Monday, March 31, at 11:55 p.m. ET. 

Cash Prize and Recognitions

• The first and second-place winners, as determined by the award committee, will receive cash prizes of $500 and $300, respectively. Additionally, there will be a $200 cash prize for the audience's choice during the award ceremony.

Please note all cash prizes are subject to income tax requirements.

Tips for creating impactful social media content

1. Harness the Power of Storytelling: Humans have an inherent love for stories that spans generations. Storytelling has proven to be an effective way to capture audience's attention and make a profound impact. In your content, adopt a creative perspective to narrate the inspiring work of The Remedy Project team, raising awareness about their initiatives. Share compelling stories about those who have been helped or the helpers themselves—their journeys, dreams, and contributions to society. 
2. Embrace a Creative Approach: Rational ideas are good but not always good enough to capture attention! Foster creativity by writing down 100 ideas about the content you want to create. Initially, the most rational ideas come to mind, but pushing through to reach 100 allows more creative and novel connections to surface. This effort results in unique, attention-grabbing, and influential content.
3. Search for Interesting Stories: Explore online media or connect with The Remedy Project team during the workshop to discover inspiring stories that can enrich your content. Here is a link to stories shared by The Remedy Project team: https://www.theremedyproj.org/prison-exposed 
4. Include a Call to Action: Conclude your video with a call to action, encouraging your audience to donate to The Remedy Project or support people who are impacted by incarceration. Remember, audiences are more receptive to calls to action after engaging with deep and inspiring stories. If you choose to encourage donations or gifts, here is the link to The Remedy Project donation page that you can include at the end of your video: www.theremedyproj.org/donate. 

Here are two examples of effective social media content with creative ideas that raise awareness and call for support for a social cause. 

Contest Rules

1. Students can choose to participate individually or as a group.
2. Participants are allowed to use publicly available images and videos. If you decide to film someone and feature them in the video, you are responsible for obtaining written consent from those whose faces appear in the video [or their voice can be recognized].
3. All content must be original and created by the participant. Feel free to leverage AI tools to elevate the creativity and professionalism of your video.
4. You are required to submit two files: 1) the video and 2) a Word document that includes the source of information, adopted images or videos, and acknowledges the use of AI tools (if applicable).
5. The content must be in video format, lasting longer than 20 seconds but shorter than 2 minutes. 
6. Content is encouraged to highlight stories of individuals overcoming challenges, such as suffering abuses, and finding relief through advocacy and support. The focus should be on inspiring action and showcasing the impact of having their voices heard, rather than solely emphasizing the hardships they faced. Stories should motivate and engage the audience, driving awareness and meaningful involvement. 
7. Content must adopt a humane and compassionate perspective, avoiding any political messages. 
8. Content must not include severe physical injuries, nudity, or hate speech.
9. Winners from the previous year are not eligible to participate in this year's competition.