DemFest Civic Poster Exhibit
Context
In the healthiest democracies, citizenship is a taken-for-granted, lifelong habit. That is, people are engaged peaceably in civic (community) or political (government) life on a routine basis — daily, weekly and/or monthly — not just when elections happen every one or more years. Young people are the future of any democracy, so if citizenship should be a lifelong habit, it’s best to start those habits early. Research shows that if people are not engaged in civic and/or political projects from a young age, they are less likely to be engaged when they are adults. Civic and political projects and programs involving youth are thus vital to democracy.
For the above reasons, Learning Life invites DC area students ages 12 to 25 to submit their democracy-related research or action projects via their schools for poster exhibition at the second DMV Democracy Festival. DemFest II is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 1:00-6:00pm at a school to be determined in Northwest Washington DC. Please mark your calendar now!
Poster Submission Criteria
In 2025, Learning Life is accepting DemFest Civic Exhibit posters only via schools, not individual students. Public, private and charter schools within one hour’s drive of Washington, DC, with students ages anywhere from 12 to 25 on the date of DemFest, can select 1-3 student posters, and up to 6 students (1-2 student exhibitors per poster) from their school to participate in the Civic Poster Exhibit.
Students interested in exhibiting are encouraged to find a supportive teacher or administrator at their school who is willing to work with Learning Life to ensure 1-3 of their students’ participation in the Exhibit. Schools are, in turn, encouraged to invite all their eligible students to submit posters for school review and selection of the one or two best posters for presentation at DemFest.
Learning Life will accept, on a “first come, first served” basis, a total of up to thirty school-approved student posters from public, charter and private schools within one hour’s drive of Washington, DC.
Posters must be democracy-related. “Democracy-related” is defined broadly here to include projects about past or present, local to global government or people’s action concerning issues of public concern (civil rights and/or responsibilities, elections, use or abuse of power, violence, citizen engagement, poverty, discrimination, climate change, etc.).
Posters must be about democracy-related action or research projects that the presenters undertook or are undertaking. Thus, projects or programs completed or ongoing are both acceptable. Projects and programs that are innovative, completed, and/or ongoing yet showing significant research or impact results are preferred. Examples of “democracy-related” projects or programs include voter or election registration, education or mobilization; student government; news media; issue education or advocacy campaigns (gun violence, discrimination, inequality, climate change, protecting or advancing freedoms, etc.).
Civic projects and programs must involve students, but can also involve families, nonprofits, businesses, government, and/or community members at school, neighborhood, city, county, state, country or international levels.
Presenters are encouraged to include a mix of text, photos, charts and/or graphics to make their posters more eye-appealing. Civic or political action posters should clearly describe the project or program’s purpose, activities, any impact /results observed in quantitative (numbers) and/or qualitative (brief stories, quotes, photos, drawings, etc.) ways, and conclusions/reflections, including any further action planned or recommended. Civic or political research posters should clearly describe the research purpose, question or hypothesis, the method(s) pursued, the results, and conclusions/reflections, including any further research planned or recommended.
Posters can be 24 to 36 inches wide, 36 to 48 inches long/tall, and should be printed or glued on a stiff, foam, white or black board. Learning Life will provide easels on which to stand the posters. School-approved student exhibitors or their schools must print and bring their school’s 1-3 student poster(s).
The Exhibit & Judging Process
The Civic Poster Exhibit and judging will occur in two parts. First, the judges will evaluate the posters’ appearance and content without the students present. Second, the judges will evaluate the students’ poster presentations / interaction with the public. Here is the full process and schedule:
12:45-1:00pm: Student exhibitors arrive, register, and submit their respective posters at the registration table.
1:00-2:00pm: DemFest staff will deliver and display up to 30 posters, each poster on an easel, in 1-2 Exhibit rooms by 2pm.
2:00-3:30pm: Judges read and score each poster on appearance and content. See the scoring rubric for the appearance and content criteria. Student exhibitors are not present during this initial judging process as the focus is strictly on the posters, not the students’ presentation of the posters.
1:00 to 4:45pm: Student exhibitors, their teachers, classmates, friends and family are encouraged to enjoy/partake in other parts of DemFest, including discussion sessions, games, and the arts for democracy performances. See the DemFest schedule for details.
4:45-5:00pm: Student exhibitors proceed to their Exhibit room, locate their poster, and ready to present their poster to the public and judges.
5:00-5:30pm: Student exhibitors present their posters. Students will not conduct a formal presentation, but rather respond to judges’ and the interested public’s questions about their posters. Judges listen, ask questions, and score each student on presentation. See the scoring rubric for the presentation criterion.
5:30-6:00pm: Judges submit their scores to Learning Life staff, and staff determine and announce three student winners at DemFest’s culminating celebration.
Submission Process & Awards
Schools do not need to submit their student posters for review in advance of DemFest. As the Exhibit process above indicates, schools just need to ensure that the students arrive between 12:45 and 1pm on DemFest Day to register and submit their poster.
Civic Poster Exhibit winners will be announced and receive third, second and first prizes of $50, $100 and $150 cash on DemFest Day, some time between 5:3o and 6:00pm, that is, during the second half of the culminating celebration.
In 2025, there is no fee for schools to participate in the Exhibit, but all students accepted as DemFest poster exhibitors, as well as any supportive teachers, classmates, family and friends, must pay their own DemFest entry ticket either in advance ($4 for youth 17 and under, $6 for adults 18 and over), or at the door on DemFest Day ($6 for youth, $8 for adults). Schools can, of course, choose to cover the cost of their student exhibitors’ and teachers’ DemFest tickets. All proceeds support DemFest and the larger DMV Democracy Learning Community. The DemFest 2025 ticket purchasing page will be shared as we get closer to DemFest Day, September 13.