About
Welcome to Cultural Harvest, a student-led project at the 乱伦社区 that celebrates food, culture, and community.
We believe food is more than nourishment 鈥� it is a story. Through Cultural Harvest, students share food memories, art, videos, music, and other creative work while exploring food justice, sustainability, identity, and belonging.
UW Cultural Harvest Day will take place on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 2:30鈥�5:00 PM in HUB 145, in celebration of UNESCO鈥檚 World Day for Cultural Diversity.
Submit Your Story (Application Portal)
Interest Form (Get Updates)
What We Do
Cultural Harvest invites UW students to reflect on the relationship between food, identity, and community through creative expression.
We:
- collect and showcase student stories about food and identity
- host workshops on food justice and storytelling
- support students as they develop creative submissions
- celebrate student work during UW Cultural Harvest Day
Theme
We invite UW students to share work that reflects a cultural experience connected to food 鈥� including identity, family, migration, language, place, memory, community, and food justice.
We define 鈥渃ulture鈥� broadly, and lived experience matters.
Eligibility and Requirements
To participate, students must:
- be a current UW student
- create work connected to food and culture
- submit their work through the Application Portal
Students are strongly encouraged to attend both workshops.
Students who submit work but do not attend both workshops may still be featured and awarded.
Prizes
- 1st Prize: $500
- 2nd Prize: $300
- 3rd Prize: $200
- People鈥檚 Choice Award: $200
Timeline
- Fall: Connect with us and begin preparing your story
- Winter: Workshops on food justice and storytelling
- Spring: UW Cultural Harvest Day showcase and online archive launch
Past Workshops
Workshop 1
Friday, February 20, 2026
2:00鈥�3:30 PM | HUB 340
Theme: Food, Culture & Equity: Exploring Food Identity and Sustainability
This workshop focused on food identity, cultural foodways, access, sustainability, and community care.
Visit Workshop 1
Workshop 2
Thursday, April 2, 2026
2:30鈥�4:00 PM | HUB 340
Theme: Storytelling for Impact: Turning Food Memories into Creative Expression
This workshop focused on transforming food memories into creative work, including writing, visual art, audio/video, and showcase preparation.
Visit Workshop 2
UW Cultural Harvest Day
Thursday, May 21, 2026
2:30鈥�5:00 PM | HUB 145
Join us as we celebrate student work, announce prize winners, and host an audience vote for the People鈥檚 Choice Award.
All workshops and events are open to UW students.
Accessibility requests, including ASL interpretation and wheelchair access accommodations, may be made at least two weeks in advance.
Evaluation Criteria
Our panel of judges will evaluate submissions using the following rubric. We aim to recognize projects that thoughtfully connect storytelling, culture, creativity, and community impact.
Connection to Culture, Food, and Identity 鈥� 20%
– Shows a clear and meaningful link between food practices and cultural identity
– Explores how ingredients, dishes, or harvest traditions carry history, values, or belonging
– Reflects the role of food in family, ritual, migration, resistance, or celebration
Storytelling Delivery 鈥� 20%
– Presents the project in a compelling, coherent, and engaging way
– Uses voice, pacing, structure, or medium effectively
– Holds audience attention and evokes reflection, emotion, or curiosity
– Balances personal voice with broader cultural meaning
Creativity 鈥� 20%
– Uses original, imaginative, or unexpected approaches
– Integrates artistic, sensory, or experiential elements
– Transforms traditional or familiar elements into something fresh without losing authenticity
Community Engagement 鈥� 20%
– Demonstrates authentic engagement with a specific community or cultural context
– Reflects lived experiences, voices, or collaboration rather than surface-level observation
– Shows awareness of cultural context, respect, and nuance
– Makes a meaningful connection to community wellbeing, reflection, or action
Project Sustainability 鈥� 10%
– Demonstrates a thoughtful understanding of sustainability, whether environmental, cultural, and/or social
– Connects the project to long-term impact, continuity, or real-world application
– Proposes realistic and actionable ideas that could be sustained over time
– Reflects systems thinking, including broader impacts, trade-offs, or interconnected factors
Completeness 鈥� 10%
– Demonstrates strong depth, detail, and intentionality
– Feels cohesive, well-developed, and complete
– Goes beyond minimum expectations through refinement, insight, or supporting elements
Writing, visual art, photography, video, music, audio stories, and mixed media.
All complete and eligible applications will be reviewed by our committee and evaluated using the Project Rubric.
Prize decisions will be announced during the UW Cultural Harvest Day showcase event on May 21, 2026. Prize will be sent through eVisa card.
Gallery & Student Work Exhibition(2026 in progress)
View workshop photos, featured student work, and Cultural Harvest exhibition highlights.
Visit the Gallery
Community Partners
- UW Food Pantry
- Local Cultural Farmers and Vendors
- CIRCLE Student Advisory Board
- Campus Sustainability Fund
This project is funded by the .