This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
Updated on 8/23. This contest has closed! Check out an excerpt from the winning essay by, Esther Omole, below:
“The result was a feeling of suffocation not unlike being wedged between the mirrors. I was consumed by my profiles, followers, and peers–like I was being guided along the current of my online life, watching unfamiliar mirror images of me bounce from platform to platform. Black women are subject to this kind of dissonance independent of the internet—we are often portrayed as universally hypersexual, hyper-masculine, angry, and resilient to pain in popular media. This is exacerbated by the hyper-connected online world, which often promotes these skewed archetypes of our own bodies and projects them back at us.
Confronted with these images at all angles, I searched for ways to reclaim the myriad pathways technology was offering me. I listened to other Black women share stories about loneliness online, found networks like Therapy for Black girls, and setup telehealth appointments all on the same screen. The globalized online world became a gateway to explore my individual complexity, the identity that was unique to me. I could be like my 7 years old self, strengthened by my own undulating reflections and multitudes. Instead of being made and unmade, scrutinized and hidden, I was doing the creating, watching myself grow in the selfie cam of my online world with pride. And I loved it.”
Click here to read the full essay
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[ORIGINAL ARTICLE]
Have you ever reflected on what it’s like to come of age in a hyper-online, always-connected world? If so, we want to hear your thoughts. This spring, Her Campus is teaming up with Pocket for The Future Connection, an exciting new writing contest where you’ll have the chance to win a $5,000 cash prize! You’ll also have the chance to have your writing officially published in Pocket, the award-winning app from Mozilla that helps you discover and save the best articles, news, and stories from across the web. If this sounds up your alley, keep on reading for all the deets.
The contest
Living in the digital age can mean something different to everyone, and we want to hear what it means to you. To enter, answer the following prompt in 300-500 words: “What does it mean for you to come of age in a hyper-online, always-connected world?”Get creative, have fun with it, and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine!
Timeline
Visit our contest page to enter The Future Connection writing competition and enter for your chance to win. Be sure to submit your essay by Thursday, July 15th, 2021, by 11:59 p.m. PT for the opportunity to win a $5,000 prize! The contest will kick off on May 14th during our epic To The Future graduation mega-event featuring speeches and performances by celebs, CEOs, actors, politicians, and spring graduates themselves.
Winner selection
The winner will be announced on Friday, July 30th, 2021. Essays will be reviewed by a panel of expert judges, including Mozilla CMO Lindsey Shepard and Her Campus Media co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Kaplan Lewis! The writing contest winner will also have their essay featured in Pocket, where it will go before Pocket’s global audience of readers and thinkers who use the app as part of their daily reading ritual! And that’s not all. The winner will also gain a personal mentorship call with a Mozilla executive and take home the $5,000 cash prize!
Pocket is the ultimate app to help you discover, save, and enjoy your favorite content all in one place, no matter where your postgrad adventures take you. This graduation season, Pocket wants to help support your unique story and writing ambitions with The Future Connection writing competition. To learn more and enter for your chance to win, apply HERE and follow @pocket and @hercampus on Instagram for more exciting updates!
Learn more about the full terms and conditions here.