See the winners from “Say It in 6,” a competition that challenges students to tell their story in a creative way, at a reception Thursday, Feb. 28, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“Say It in 6” is presented by the UAB Graduate School. Based on Smith Magazine’s “Six-Word Memoirs®” concept, “Say It in 6” invites students, faculty and staff to use only six words and a visual aid to tell their story. Competitors submitted their original six-word story with an accompanying visual aid, which could be an original photograph, artwork or photo of the participant.
The winners’ reception will be from 5-7 p.m. at UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. The final judging panel will choose the winners shortly before the reception, when the winners will be announced and prizes awarded.
Before the reception, special guest Lynn Harter, professor and co-director of the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact at Ohio University, will present a lecture at 3:30 p.m., “Storytelling and Engaged Scholarship: Narrative Sense-making in Research, Teaching, and Service.” The lecture is sponsored by the UAB Graduate School and the Office of the Provost. Guests are invited to attend the lecture at the UAB Alumni House, 1301 10th Ave. South, then step across the street to AEIVA for the free reception.
This year’s “Say It in 6” competition has a new division for faculty and staff and new categories: Birmingham, UAB, Happiness, Strength and Tradition.
“We started ‘Say It in 6’ as a way to bring our campus community together,” said UAB Graduate School Dean Lori McMahon. “By adding a faculty and staff category, it provided an opportunity for more of our campus to participate.”
The preliminary judging panel included local artists, community and business leaders, and UAB faculty (judging student division only). These judges narrowed down the 215 original submissions to the final two for each category.
The final judging panel will select first and second place for two divisions, student and faculty/staff; third place will be a People’s Choice award. Students receive cash prizes: $1,000 for first, $750 for second and $500 for third. Faculty/staff winners will receive gift baskets.
Judges include Katherine Billmeier, chief executive officer of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama; J.W. Carpenter, executive director of the Birmingham Education Foundation; Will Pearson, co-founder of Mental Floss and SVP Podcast Operations at HowStuffWorks/iHeart Media; Wellon Bridgers, local artist and U.S. director of Mwana Villages; and Anthony “Tony” Bratina, art director at Eternal World Television Network.