As part of the IDWF 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence, we are thrilled to launch a call for artistic expressions by domestic workers: Voices for Change – Celebrating Domestic Workers’ Power to Transform Oppression into Dignity.
We created this space for our affiliates to express themselves through art—a tool of resilience, empowerment, and resistance—against all forms of discrimination, violence, and harassment. We invite you to make our struggles visible and show our movement’s collective power to drive change. Ready to share your voice?
Guidelines for Participants
General Conditions
Who can participate: Members of IDWF affiliates from all countries and regions.
Open-theme call: There is no set theme or prompt. Participants are free to submit any artistic works, including pieces they have previously created (as long as they meet the originality criteria below).
Originality: Submissions must be participants’ own work / Works must not have been published by third parties (e.g., media outlets, galleries) nor awarded in other competitions / AI-generated content is not eligible.
Submission limit: One piece per participant, in a single category from the list below. Multiple submissions are not permitted.
Languages: Submissions are welcome in any language.
Anonymity: Participants may choose to remain anonymous. If selected, only the participant’s pseudonym will be used in any publication or sharing of the work.
Accepted Art Forms
- Visual Arts
- Drawing (photo or scan)
Examples: freehand drawings (any technique), illustrations, portraits, comic strips/sequential art, caricatures. - Painting (photo or scan)
Examples: watercolor, acrylic, oil, gouache, ink washes, mixed-media paintings. - Photography (digital file)
Examples: portraits, documentary/reportage, artistic/conceptual, street photography, self-portraits, everyday life/workplace scenes. - Digital Art & Illustration (digital file)
Examples: digital drawings, vector posters, comic strips/sequential art. - Collage & Mixed Media (photo or scan)
Examples: paper collage, photo-montage. - Printmaking (photo or scan)
Examples: linocut, woodcut, silkscreen. - Graphic Design (digital file)
Examples: campaign posters, flyers, banners. - Murals & Street Art (photo)
Examples: painted walls, protest banners, flags.
- Writing
- Creative writing (Word or PDF format — text only)
Examples: poems, short stories, personal narratives, song lyrics, scripts/plays.
- Performance
- Dance (video format)
Examples: contemporary/modern, traditional/folk, urban, classical, simple choreographies. - Theater / Performance Art (video format)
Examples: short scenes, dramatizations, dance-theater, forum theater, stand-up. - Spoken Word / Oral Storytelling (audio or video format)
Examples: slam, recitation, testimonies, monologues. - Vocal & Instrumental Performance (audio or video format)
Examples: instrumental performances, singing.
- Video & Audio Storytelling
- Short Film & Video Storytelling (video format)
Examples: narrative shorts, interview-based pieces, mini-documentaries, video collage, photo story video (photos + text/taglines + music). - Animation & Motion Graphics (video format)
Examples: short animated stories, typographic motion pieces. - Sound Art (audio format)
Examples: podcast pieces, radio show segments.
Curation Criteria
Submissions will be curated based on the following criteria:
- Relevance: The work reflects domestic workers’ experiences, identities, struggles, and achievements, resonating with the movement as a whole and conveying its collective power for change.
- Creativity and Originality: The work communicates ideas, emotions, or perspectives in an authentic and creative way.
- Emotional Impact / Expressiveness: The work conveys a clear message, invites reflection, and moves the audience.
- Connection to IDWF’s vision and mission: The work is in line with the values of the domestic workers movement..
- Representation: The curated selection will include a diversity of voices and art forms, with balanced representation across all IDWF regions.
Jury: It will be composed of members of the IDWF Executive Committee, one representative of the IDWF Secretariat, the IDWF Communications Team, and one guest juror from the creative/communications team of an allied organization.
Recognition and Showcase
- First Award: USD 500
- Second Award: USD 300
- Third Award: USD 200
- 4 Honorable Mentions: USD 100 each
- Top 16 works: digital certificates
Showcase: The top 16 works will be featured on IDWF social media channels as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign (November 25–December 10) and showcased in an online “art gallery” hosted on the IDWF website.
Submission Guidelines
Technical Requirements:
- Photos/Images: JPG or PNG format.
- Videos: MP4 format, up to 3 minutes in length.
- Audio: MP3 format, up to 3 minutes in length.
- Texts: DOC, DOCX, or PDF format, up to 3 pages.
*Other formats may be accepted if needed (please ask first).
Submission deadline: October 31
Submit your work here https://forms.gle/V3WVh4CAfEXa8z5q7
*If you have questions or need help submitting your work, please contact your regional IDWF Coordinator or the IDWF Communications Team at socialmedia@idwfed.org
