Community Updates

Contest: Digital Art of the Resistance by Bread&Net and RightsCon

العربية

Are you a designer, cartoonist, digital artist, illustrator, or doodle enthusiast from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region who is passionate about human rights in the digital age?

This contest is for you!

About the contest


Bread&Net and RightsCon are inviting creatives and activists across the Arab world to join in the Digital Art of Resistance, a contest to showcase how people and movements across the region are using art to advance human rights, online and offline. 

Whether in the form of a cartoon, digital art or an illustration, your image should capture the spirit of activism, resistance, and resilience in the region. Be bold, creative and inspiring. We’d love participants to explore their own personal styles and ideas in this contest. 

What winners receive


  • The winning artist will be awarded a cash prize of  $1,000 USD.
  • The top 10 entries will be featured in a digital art exhibition on SMEX and RightsCon social media channels.
  • All participants will receive a free ticket to RightsCon 2021 (June 7-11). You can register here for your free ticket by May 21 2021.

Entry Requirements


  • Deadline Extended to August, 15th 2021. 
  • Contest is open to participants from the MENA region. 
  • Submissions are limited to one per person.

Submission Guidelines


  • Design Specs:Sizes of the image should be 1000-2000px by 1000-2000px at 72dpi at least. Files can be submitted as JPG, PNG, SVG (for vector files), or GIF (if it’s animated images). File size should not be bigger than 25mb. 
  • Please include your name, country, short bio, social media handles and a brief note explaining your design.
  • Language – Arabic, English or French
  • Please send your submission to Michelle D’cruz, [email protected] and Francoise Nehme, [email protected] by August, 15th 2021
  • Use the Subject line “Digital Art of Resistance Contest”
    • Add your image as an attachment
    • In the body of the email please include – Name/Nickname, Country of origin, Bio (100 words), Social Media handles, Concept note explaining your design (300 words)

Selection Criteria


  1. Originality, relevance and creativity
  2. Adherence to submission guidelines 

All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of artists and activists from MENA as well as representatives from Bread&Net and RightsCon.

The top 10 entries and the winner will be announced on RightsCon and SMEX social media channels in early September.

Additional Notes


  • Selected images will also be used on the RightsCon website, social media messaging, output documents and other spaces. 
  • Images will not be altered or adapted for for other uses

If you need any more information or have any questions, please contact Michelle D’cruz at [email protected]


About Access Now Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of users at risk around the world. RightsCon is the organisation’s headline event convening thousands of experts from around the globe and across stakeholder lines. More than an annual conference, RightsCon is a movement that connects and mobilizes a global community between events to collaborate on the most pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. You can learn more about RightsCon here and on Twitter @RightsCon

About SMEX SMEX works to advance self-regulating information societies in the Middle East and North Africa. Bread&Net is a digital rights conference run by SMEX. You can learn more about SMEX here and and on Twitter @SMEX 

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