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Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize

In honor of Mattie Stepanek celebrating heart songs poetry!

Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize - Call for Entries
Credit: myhero
2024 IFF FINALISTS MATTIE
Credit: MYHERO

🌟 Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize 🌟

Submissions are closed for 2024

 

About the Award

The Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize honors filmmakers who craft visual poems to share messages of hope and peace. This award is in memory of Mattie Stepanek, whose heartfelt poetry touched thousands of lives with its messages of love and optimism. 💖🌈

Jeni Stepanek presents this prize to celebrate Mattie's legacy and the power of poetic storytelling. ✨📜

 

What We’re Looking For:
🎥 Visual Poems: Films that bring poetry to life through powerful visuals and storytelling.
📝 Messages of Hope: Projects that inspire and uplift, spreading positivity in a meaningful way.
🌍 Peaceful Themes: Films that promote peace, unity, and understanding.

Why Submit Your Poetry Film?
🏆 Celebrate the power of poetic storytelling.
✏️ Honor Mattie Stepanek’s legacy of hope and peace.
📜 Showcase your work in a festival that values creativity and heart.

🆓 Students submit for FREE!
Email us at [email protected] for your waiver code.

 

Who Was Mattie Stepanek?
Mattie Stepanek was a young poet whose words touched the hearts of many. Though his life was brief, his powerful messages of hope and peace continue to inspire people around the world. This prize is offered by his mother, Jeni Stepanek, to keep his legacy alive.

📝Instructions for Students on How to Create Your Visualized Poem📝

Ready to bring poetry to life on screen? Here’s how you can create a visualized poem for the Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize:

1. With Voiceover (VO):
🎤 Record a voice reading the poem.
🎞️ Pair it with public domain images, or use your own photos and videos to illustrate the poem’s meaning.

2. Text on Screen:
📝 Write the poem using the text/title tool in your video editor.
🎥 Combine it with public domain images or your own visuals to enhance the poem’s message.

3. Metaphorical Expression:
🎼 Use images and music as metaphors to express the poem’s emotions, letting the visuals and sound convey the essence of your poem.

Important:
Make sure you have permission to use the poem, or ensure it’s in the public domain. 

How to Enter 🎬

  1. Create Your Visual Poem: Focus on conveying messages of hope and peace.
  2. Submit Your Film: Follow the submission guidelines on our website.
  3. Meet the Deadline: Ensure your submission is in by June 1st!

 


Create with heart. Inspire with poetry. Honor a legacy. 🌟🎥

Good luck, and we can’t wait to see your inspiring visual poems! 🌈✨

 

 

2025 Deadline June 1
Credit: myhero

Mattie Stepanek Film Prize sizzle

MY HERO
Learn about the Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize in the MY HERO International Film Festival

Mattie Stepanek

Produced by:Nathan Smith
A short animated tribute to poet hero Mattie Stepanek. The soundtrack features the St. Paul's Episcopal Day School choir singing a song inspired by one of Mattie's poems.

2023 Poetic Film WINNERS

2023 Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize - One More Time
Credit: myhero
2023 Mattie Stepanek Poetic Student Prize
Credit: myhero
2023 Mattie Elementary Visual Poem Prize
Credit: myhero
2023 Mattie Student Spoken Word Prize
Credit: myhero

2022 Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize WINNERS!

2022 iff Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Winner - The Poet by Cheikh Darou Seck
Credit: myhero
2022 IFF Mattie Stepanek - Visual Poem Winner - Waking from a Dream about Forests
Credit: myhero
2022 IFF Mattie Stepanek - Visual Poem Winner - The Morning Mist
Credit: myhero

View all of the 2022 Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Finalists

Credit: myhero

VIEW PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE MATTIE STEPANEK POETRY PRIZE

2020 Professional Winner

To The Boy - for Mattie J.T. Stepanek

Produced by:Alana Daly Mulligan
Mattie's life philosophy was to play after every storm, so now, when we all feel tossed about but the waves of our world, we must remember to hold onto hope.

2021 High School winner

Peace Dances in MY Soul

Sarina Vaziri
A poem about celebrating nature and life.

Great examples of illustrated poems for inspiration

The Peace of Wild Things

Katy Wang
When despair for the world grows in me… ...I come into the peace of wild things. ~Wendell Barry

Still I Rise

Gabriel Diamond, Patrick Barnes, Phil Collis
A visual and musical interpretation of American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s electrifying poem "Still I Rise."

Sea Fever

Produced by:Tim Davies
A poetic & musical expression of connecting to the mighty sea.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Produced by:Taft High School
Based on the poem by Robert Frost

Nature Poem

Produced by:Jerrilyn Jacobs
The virtues of being among nature and finding inner peace

Learn more about Mattie and Jeni Stepanek

Dr. Jeni Stepanek

By: Slater Jewell-Kemker
Dr. Jeni Stepanek is interviewed by MY HERO's Slater Jewell-Kemker.

Oprah's Surprise Visit to Jeni Stepanek

Produced by:Oprah Winfrey Network
Video tribute from Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Sunday

My Son, Mattie J. T. Stepanek

By: Jeni Stepanek
Jeni Stepanek shares with us how her son Mattie was her hero.

"For Our World" a poem by Mattie Stepanek

Child peace activist and poet, Mattie Stepanek, wrote this poem after the tragedy of September 11. Read the poem that has touched millions.

My Hero, Mattie

By: Mark Cavanagh
Poem about Mattie Stepanek, an American child poet who had dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy.

Mattie Stepanek: Facing the Future

Enjoy the poem "Facing the Future" by Mattie Stepanek, who died of a rare form of muscular dystrophy at 13. His poetry has touched millions of lives.

Jeni Stepanek

By: Claudia Herrera Hudson
Jeni Stepanek is an ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy who continues to spread her son Mattie's message of peace.

Jeni Stepanek To Receive 2016 My Hero Humanitarian Award


Organizer created on 3/7/2022 4:31:22 PM by Wendy Milette

Last edited 10/13/2024 2:13:10 PM by Wendy Milette

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