ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) is inviting students to help promote peacemaking by submitting artwork for the 16th annual Conflict Resolution Day Bookmark Art Contest. The contest is open to all Maryland students in kindergarten through eighth grade to help celebrate national Conflict Resolution Month in October and Conflict Resolution Day on October 21, 2021. Entries are due by Thursday, November 4, 2021.

Students are asked to create bookmarks with the theme of resolving or preventing conflicts. Topics include peer mediation, apologizing, respecting differences, talking things out, solving problems together, listening, tolerance, diversity, inclusion, building peace, and alternatives to violence. The contest allows for teachers, parents, and students to discuss ways to resolve conflicts peacefully.

“The annual Conflict Resolution Day bookmark contest is a wonderful way to engage children in learning through art about resolving conflicts appropriately and peacefully,” said Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Joseph M. Getty. “The contest has garnered more than 10,000 entries over its 16-year history and I encourage students from schools throughout Maryland to participate as a way to foster important discussions with their peers, teachers, and parents about best practices for conflict resolution.”

Winning students and their families will be invited to an awards ceremony in December 2021. Submissions will be judged on both artistic merit and their conflict resolution or prevention message. Student originality is welcomed. Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place in three age groups: grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. For each age group, the prize awards will be $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place. A selection of winning entries will be printed and distributed throughout Maryland to promote conflict resolution. Winners whose bookmarks are selected for printing will receive copies of their own printed entry.

Visit MACRO’s bookmark contest web page, mdcourts.gov/macro/eventsconflictresolutionday, for more information, including the template, instructions, and delivery information, or watch the bookmark contest video to learn more.

The contest is sponsored by the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO).