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Mighty Niger Traditional Art's
2nd Annual
Mighty Dread™
International Dreadlocks Contest & Appreciation
A Kwanzaa Holiday Event
Whether worn as a statement or a style, well-kept dreadlocks are a thing of natural beauty. We at Mighty Niger Traditional Art seek to support this aspect of pan-African aesthetics by sponsoring the 2nd Annual Mighty Dread™ International Dreadlocks Contest & Appreciation.
Why an Appreciation?
Contest judges often make decisions in a vacuum.
In this Locks Appreciation, however, members of the general public will be able to make recommendations to the judges before they decide.
Using an on-line Recommendation Form, the public will have an opportunity to state in writing what they love or "appreciate" about the locks of a Participant. These appreciations will be read by the judges, and will also be made available to the public on a web page linked to the Participant's photos.
In writing an appreciation of a Participant's locks, the writer is limited only by his or her own imagination. The idea is to set out good reasons why your favorite Participant should win. No dis-appreciations allowed!
Although the judges will be free nevertheless to make their own decisions, persuasive appreciations may point out to them qualities they might not have considered otherwise.
Participants may enter
their photos in the contest
from now through
January 20th, 2003.
The public may begin to submit
their Recommendation Forms
on-line as soon as photos begin
to appear on the website.
View the
Kwanzaa 2002
Winners
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Mighty Dread™
Entry Rules
- Participants must be 18 or older
- Female participants only
- Locks must be 100% "own-grown"
- No weaves or extensions
- No artificial colors
- No "lock perms"
- Hair ornaments acceptable
- Creative designs encouraged
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$ 1,000
in
Cash Prizes
Priceless
Compliments
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The Process
The Dreadlocks Contest & Appreciation lasts from now until January, 2003.
The Process is divided into 2 parts:
I. The Appreciation Stage; and
II. The Judging Stage.
I. The Appreciation Stage
In the Appreciation Stage, the general public will write Appreciations of the one Participant whose locks they most admire. You must be age 18 or older to write an Appreciation.
Appreciation Stage begins: November 1st, 2002.
Appreciation Stage ends: January 31st, 2003.
All Appreciations must be received by 11 pm (EST) on January 31st, 2003. To be considered valid, the Appreciation must be submitted via our on-line Recommendation Form.
Please Note: A Participant must receive a minimum of 25 Appreciations to go on to the Judging Stage.
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. . . timeless
Pharaoh Ramses II (circa, 1290 B.C.)
wearing a helmet inspired by an ancient natural hairstyle. The circles on the helmet represent wooly hair.1
An ethnic Watutsi in the 1970's -- over 3,200 years
later -- with matte-type, locked hair.
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II. The Judging Stage
In the Judging Stage, a Panel of Experts will first read all of the Appreciations. After giving them careful consideration, these Judges will then draw upon their professional expertise to choose 4 winners -- one for each Style Category below:
STYLE CATEGORIES
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Style |
Prize |
Traditional:
Cultural events; African attire (including head gear); Kwanzaa ceremonies, etc. |
$ 250
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Office:
Business attire; interviews; office environment; presentations, etc. |
$ 250
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Evening:
Formal occasions; night on the town; weddings; church, etc. |
$ 250
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Free-style:
Maximum creativity; artistic; informal settings; athletics, etc. |
$ 250
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Thus, a Participant may want to keep these categories in mind when planning her photos.
The Panel of Experts is made up of professional hair stylists. These lockticians specialize in dreadlocks and other natural hair styles. In judging each Style Category, they will bring to bear their many years of hair locking experience to assess the grooming, technique, creativity, and over-all appearance of a Participant's locks.
The 4 prize winners will be announced
on the first day of Black History Month :
February 1st, 2003.
The announcement will feature a Participant's name, city of residence, photos, locktician, and the name of the natural hair salon she patronizes.
Process Rules
Enter the Locks Appreciation by Choosing a Registration Option :
Choose a Registration Option below in accordance with the type of photos you will be using :
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- OPTION # 1
- To get the Headshots for $14 , register by submitting this Online Registration Form
- OPTION # 2
- To use your own photo prints, register by mailing us the photo prints together with this Mail-in Registration Form
- OPTION # 3
- To use your own email photos, register by following the Registration Instructions for International Participants
Questions about this Dreadlocks Contest & Appreciation should be e-mailed to:
mightydread@kwanzaakeepers.com
Cancellation : At any time prior to the decision of the judges, we reserve the right to change any rules or entry instructions up to and including cancellation of the event.
1
1. Cheikh Anta Diop, The African Origin of Civilization (1974), p. 19, notes to Illustration 11.
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