2025 Common Reader - Art and Creative Writing Contest

As part of this year’s Common Reader Program, CMC is sponsoring an Art and Creative Writing Contest.

All entries will be inspired by Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman and her visit to CMC sites in October. Art and creative writing entries will focus on the themes of Journeys of Resilience: Connecting with Living Systems. All CMC students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to participate.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Art and Creative Writing Contest is to offer an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to reflect on the Common Reader and connect with it in a meaningful way as expressed through writing and/or art. This theme invites participants to explore how personal growth, environmental responsibility, and the beauty of the natural world are deeply interconnected—just like Sara Dykman’s journey with the monarch butterflies. It encourages storytelling and artistic expression that highlight how individual actions can make a difference, how nature inspires resilience, and how we're all part of a larger, living system.

Skills:

Participating in the art and creative writing contest provides an avenue to think innovatively and to create an innovative or unique idea, question, format, or product that pushes existing boundaries.

Knowledge:

This submission will allow you to share your knowledge of Journeys of Resilience: Connecting with Living Systems as they connect to Sara Dykman’s book Bicycling with Butterflies

Tasks:

1. Read Sara Dykman’s book Bicycling with Butterflies
2. Create your submission that demonstrates your skills and knowledge as listed above
3. Before October 17, 2025. Please upload your submissions here: Submission Entry Form
4. Be sure to include that your entry is for the Journeys of Resilience: Connecting with Living Systems contest and include Title of the work; name under which you’d like to be published on the Common Reader webpage, your phone number, mailing address, campus affiliation (Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Rifle, etc.) and campus status (student, staff, faculty, or community member)
5. For Written work: Written works must not exceed 1,500 words; file naming: “firstname_lastname_title.doc”
6. For Visual Art: JPEG file; resolution: 300 ppi; image size: minimum 8 inches on its longest side; file naming: “firstname_lastname_title.jpg”

Criteria for Success Rubric:

• Creative Thinking - Think innovatively: create an innovative or unique idea, question, format, or product that pushes existing boundaries.
• 4 Points – Exemplary: extends an innovative or unique idea, question, format, or product to create new knowledge or knowledge that crosses boundaries.
• 3 Points – Accomplished: creates an innovative or unique idea, question, format, or product within existing boundaries.
• 2 Points – Developed: experiments with creating an innovative or unique idea, question, format, or product within existing boundaries.
• 1 Point – Beginning: Reformulates a collection of available ideas that represent a safe approach.

Recognition:

There will be winners awarded in both the Creative Writing category and the Art category. Winners will be recognized on CMC’s Common Reader webpage.

 

Learn More About the 2025 Common Reader Program