STARZ Launches “Share Your Voice” Spoken Word Contest For Its New Original Series “America To Me”

Courtesy of Starz Entertainment LLC!

STARZ Launches Show Aimed At Revealing Disparity In Youth Education

STARZ isn’t just for “Power” y’all! A new show just launched this weekend that we URGE you all to watch.

“America to Me” follows students, teachers and administrators in suburban Chicago’s Oak Park and River Forest High School, one of the country’s highest performing and diverse public schools, over the course of a year, as they grapple with decades-long racial and educational inequities — in addition to the challenges that today’s teenagers face. Digging deep into the experiences of a racially diverse student population, “America to Me” sparks candid conversations about what has succeeded and what has failed in the quest to achieve racial equity and overcome obstacles in America’s education system. James captures critical moments within this vibrant high-school ecosystem with students who share their confessionals of how their American experience has been.

Watch the trailer below:

It gets even better though because Starz is currently accepting submissions from U.S. students for the opportunity to win a $25,000 scholarship from the “Share Your Voice” spoken word contest in conjunction with the new STARZ Original series “America to Me,” which debuted Sunday, August 26 at 10 PM ET/PT.

The 10-part documentary series from Emmy Award®-winning and Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Steve James and Participant Media highlights the power of spoken word and the contest challenges students ages 14 to 19 to answer the question, “What does America mean to me?” in a 60-second original spoken word video. Entry submissions are being accepted through October 7 via Instagram or Twitter using #AmericatoMeContest and #STARZ hashtags or by uploading it to http://www.AmericaToMe.com.

An esteemed panel of judges will select the top five finalists whose videos will be posted on AmericatoMe.com on October 14, giving America the opportunity to vote and select a winner through October 22. The winner of the $25,000 scholarship will be announced on October 28.

“This spoken word contest encourages students to share, in their own words, what it’s like to live and learn in America today,” said Alison Hoffman, Chief Marketing Officer for Starz. “It’s illuminating to hear the students of Oak Park tell their stories in the series, and we look forward to hearing different perspectives from students around the country.”

Make sure you watch this dope programming on STARZ and be sure to encourage any students you know to apply for the contest!