“Sharing our personal stories isn’t easy, but it reminds us that we are not alone. So let’s talk about it. Let’s share our stories: the good, the bad, and the ugly.”  
- Lauren Miller Rogen, HFC Co-Founder

About the Scholarship:
Storytelling is a powerful tool to help bring light to Alzheimer's disease and dementia.  HFC's Humans of Dementia Storytelling Scholarship is open to high school and college students who have been impacted in some way by Alzheimer's disease. This scholarship focuses on storytelling as a tool to drive awareness and inspire change about Alzheimer's disease.  By focusing on the person and not the disease, Humans of Dementia aims to bring light to and elevate the conversation around Alzheimer's disease so we can reduce the stigma and shame often surrounding loved ones living with the disease. Think of someone in your life who had or still lives with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia.  
Who was the person you are profiling before the devastating effects of Alzheimer's or dementia took hold?  This is your chance to tell their story or feature a compelling aspect of their life. In telling it, you will be joining a movement of people who are bringing light and awareness to this space. Together, we can bring light to Alzheimer's. To the extent possible, we encourage entrants to interview the person living with Alzheimer's or dementia. If this is not possible, then we encourage you to talk to and interview family members and/or friends of your loved one. Interviews will be integral to your written and/or visual storytelling as they provide you with different perspectives, insight, anecdotes, as well as quotes, all of which will greatly enrich your story and paint a better picture of who you are profiling.  

**FOR CANADIAN APPLICANTS - Enter your full mailing address in the "MAILING ADDRESS" field, including, province. You can select any US city and state since those fields are required. Alternatively, you can include your full address and your school's location at the end of your written profile or use the written profile section for your address if you are submitting photos only.

Awards:
High School Students

• Written Profile - THREE (3) Prizes of $1500 cash award + VIP Virtual Awards Reception
• Photo Essay - THREE (3) Prizes of $1500 cash award + VIP Virtual Awards Reception

College Students

• Written Profile - THREE (3) Prizes of $1500 cash award + VIP Virtual Awards Reception
• Photo Essay - THREE (3) Prizes of $1500 cash award + VIP Virtual Awards Reception

To Enter:

1. Carefully read the Eligibility Requirements and Rules
2. At the bottom of this page, click "create account."
3. After you set up your account, you will be directed to the submission form.

To Be Eligible You Must:

• Be enrolled in high school or college in the U.S. or Canada.  Home school students are eligible to enter.
• Feature someone currently living with or who has passed away from Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.
• Submit no more than one entry per category.  You may submit one entry in both categories (one written and one photo entry).
• Keep your written submissions to no more than 750 words and your photo submissions to no more than THREE photos.

Any questions can be sent to: humans@wearehfc.org
WRITTEN STORYTELLING GUIDELINES:
In 750 words or less, use your storytelling skills to profile someone who has or had Alzheimer's disease or another dementia.  Carve out time to conduct an interview or two. Record the conversations you have! This will allow you to more easily recall quotes and anecdotes --  just be sure to inform people that you're doing so!
Don't be afraid to write more than one draft. Maybe even have a friend or family member read your essay before submitting it!  Consider the following questions to prompt your storytelling:

• How would you describe the person you are writing about? 
• What was their personality like? Who were they? 
• What did they do or like to do? Where were they born and where did they live?
• What is your favorite memory of your profilee?
• Is there a particular lesson you learned from your profilee?
• What is a time you recall your profilee being particularly joyful?
• What is your earliest memory of your profilee?
• What do you think your profilee would want to be included in this story?

Submissions will be reviewed using the following rubric:

• Dignity and Depth - Portray the individual with depth and nuance. Articulate the individual's unique essence and avoid generalizations.
• Strength of Narrative - Weave together a compelling life story that flows naturally, and goes far beyond creating a chronological list of events and facts about the person’s life.
• Detail and Research - Strive to include strong anecdotes, cover meaningful events in the individual’s life with detail, include precise naming for important locations, events, and people if relevant to the story.
• Creativity - Bring a unique and creative approach to telling the individual’s life story that enriches the quality of the piece.
• Syntax and Grammar - Be sure to carefully edit for clarity and correctness and avoid typos and grammatical errors.
  Take your time with the storytelling process!

PHOTO STORYTELLING GUIDELINES:
Your image(s) may encompass any angle/subject related to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia – living with the disease, caregiving, treatment, science, etc.  This can be candid, portraiture, environmental portrait, documentary, double exposure, still-life (loved one's objects).  You can submit color or black & white; film or digital; smartphone or camera.  
You can submit up to three (3) single images.  Entrants will be judged on a single image only.  Still images only (no video or multi-media).
Format: minimum of 2000 pixels (on long side), 72 dpi, jpeg, 2-6 MB is required for winning photos to be included in Photoville exhibit
File Name:  First Name_Last Name_001; First Name_Last Name_002, First Name_Last Name_003
Captions: PDF or Word document with file name and caption
Written Brief: Must include, Full name; City & State; Email address; Phone number; School Affiliation; Year in School (High School or College); One paragraph about you and your relationship to the image(s).
Submissions will be reviewed using the following rubric:

• Dignity and Depth - Portray the individual with depth and dignity. Capture the individual's unique essence and avoid generalizations.
• Detail and Research - Strive to include a strong image of what dementia looks like, cover meaningful moments in the individual’s life, include people if relevant to your story.
• Creativity - Bring a unique and creative approach to capturing the individual’s life.
• Technicality - Show us your technical knowledge with a point of view and technical composition.
• Grammar - Be sure to carefully edit your captions and proposal for clarity and correctness and avoid typos and grammatical errors.

Click here to read the complete Official Rules.
Click here to read the Official Terms.