ST. PAUL, Minn. - s4story -- Planting People Growing Justice™ Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) Founder, Dr. Artika Tyner, announced that the non-profit organization is conducting two writing competitions – one for children and one for adults. Complete rules and submission details can be found at PPGJLI.

The MLK Day Writing Competition is being held in partnership with the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Open to youth in grades K-5 living in Minnesota, the theme is "How Can You Be A Drum Major for Justice." It's an opportunity for youth to tell how they will be a leader in their community, school, and other environments.

Entries must be 1,000 words or less and can be fiction or creative fiction, prose, or poetry. Winners will be awarded in 1^st through 3^rd place. The deadline is Wednesday, March 1, 2023, and entries should be submitted online at the PPGJLI website.

For adults, the Writing for Social Change competition includes a four-part workshop to inspire and assist individuals in becoming published authors of children's books. The competition is made possible by the Minnesota Humanities Center through the Legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Aspiring BIPOC authors will gain essential tools and knowledge from experienced literary artists to create culturally diverse books for children.

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Entrants must be 18 and over and Minnesota residents of African American heritage. Manuscripts must focus on cultural preservation and will be entered into a book award competition.

Entries should be 500 to 1,000 words. Fiction entries will be for a picture book on Pan-Africanism, the Black Ecosystem, and Entrepreneurship or Principles of Kwanzaa. Alternatively, individuals can submit a non-fiction entry of 1,000-1,200 words that's a short biography highlighting a Black hero or shero.

Four winners will be chosen. Each will receive a $1,500 cash prize and 10 copies of their published book. The submission deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at 12 midnight. Entries should be submitted at PPGJLI online (http://www.ppgjli.org)