imagine: 2018 Essay Contest

Via parallel programs run separately in Palestine and in Israel, OneVoice will be asking students aged 13-17 from across all districts in Palestine and Israel to participate in the imagine: 2018 Essay Contest by answering the following question in the form of a short essay:

What could 2018 look like if an agreement is signed by the end of 2008?

An independent and separate panel of head judges on each side, teamed with OneVoice staff and representatives from the Ministries of Education, educators from various school districts and the municiapalities will be charged with narrowing the pool of applicants, selecting 50 finalists from Palestine and 50 finalists from Israel.

These winning submissions from each side will be published in area newspapers and compiled in a booklet to be delivered to the elected representatives on each side: the Israeli essays to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other members of the Israeli government, and the Palestinian essays to President Mahmoud Abbas and other members of the Palestinian government.

2018: Director's Cut

In order to bring these visions to life, OneVoice is selecting ten foremost directors – 2 International, 2 Israeli and 2 Palestinian, and 4 from Hollywood – to turn the most compelling essays into short films.

The panel of directors will choose from the pool of winners, selecting 10 of the best to use as their inspiration. These directors will have creative license to craft 1-5 minute videos portraying the visions of the children for imagine: 2018. Palestinian, Arab and International directors will be in charge of choosing and working on the winning Palestinian essays, while Israeli and International directors will be in charge of choosing and working on the winning Israeli essays.

The process will be overseen and facilitated by a Lead Producer - Nina Jacobson, Executive Producer at DreamWorks Studios. In addition, OneVoice has formed an Advisory Committee of entertainment community leaders. Members include Laura Ziskin from Sony Studios, Nina Jacobson, Jason Alexander, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, Mike Medavoy, David Lonner, Jehane Noujaim, Michael Lynton, Amy Pascal, Davis Guggenheim, Lawrence Bender, Roger Jackson, and Marc Platt.

Please click here to learn more about the imagine: 2018 in Palestine and in Israel.