2025 Contest Theme: Representation

The May Book Project is an initiative created by students for students. Created by The Very Asian Foundation in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, the project helps schools and libraries build and maintain robust Asian American youth literature collections for all readers. We’ve increased representation and inclusion in numerous communities. For the inaugural MBP Essay Contest, we want you to explore what representation means in your life. Whether it is through the form of diverse characters in a book, accurate cultural aspects in a movie, or having government officials who look like you, reflect on representation’s importance and how we can promote it. Be bold, genuine, and authentic.

While there is no specific prompt you must follow, you can use the following questions as inspiration to help brainstorm:

• Write about a book or character that made you feel seen or understood. How did this story reflect your own cultural identity or experience?

• Reflect on the importance of diverse representation. How does seeing stories about your culture or identity impact you?

• How do you think representation can keep cultural heritage alive for future generations? Describe a story that has deepened your connection to your history.

The essay is an open platform for you to express your identity and experiences. It should be no more than 650 words and be a personal essay. Creative and nonfiction elements are allowed as long as they maintain a focus on you.

Eligibility

• You must identify as Asian American and reside in the United States.

• You must be in grades 6-12. There will be two divisions for the contest: 6-8th and 9-12th grades.

Entry Guidelines

Formatting

• The essay's word count has no minimum, but should not exceed 650 words.

• Submit the essays in a .pdf format.

Submitting

The submission form will close on April 11th, 2025. No late submissions will be accepted.

• Applicants are only allowed to submit one essay.

• To submit your essay, fill out the form above. It will ask you for basic contact information and the .pdf document of your essay. The file size must be less than 1 MB.

• Filling out the submission form with your essay grants The Very Asian Foundation a license to publish the essay on their website or create related works without payment of a royalty. Nonetheless, if TVAF chooses to do so, credit will always be given and it will only be used for the benefit of its charitable mission.

Prizes

For each division, we will choose five winners: 1st place, 2nd place, third place, and two honorable mentions. In addition to the prizes, all winners and their essays will be honored on our website and social media.

1st place: $100 and a first-place certificate

2nd place: $50 and a second place certificate

3rd place: third place certificate

Honorable mentions: a certificate of distinguishment

Not yet confirmed: the winners’ essays, and a select number of other essays (up to the discretion of the judges), will be used to create The 2024 May Book Project Essay Contest literary magazine. The literary magazine will be a printed form of the essays and will be shared with the community as a display of students’ unique voices.

FAQ

Q: Is the Essay Contest only open to Asian American students?

A: Yes, in order to promote and encourage AANHPI students we will only open the contest to those who identify as part of the AANHPI community. This may change for future contests.

Q: Where do I submit the essay?

A: Please submit essays through this Google form: submission form.

Q: When is the deadline for submissions and when will we hear back about the results?

A: The submission portal will close on April 11th, 2025 at 11:59 pm. Results will be delivered by email the last week of April. 

Q: How will the essays be judged?

A: Judges will utilize a rubric to ensure all essays are judged fairly and efficiently. The rubric consists of five main parts: focus, relevance, creativity, impact, organization, and grammar conventions.

Judging Rubric

If you have any questions please email knguyen0300@gmail.com