Arts Quincy partners with Chamber for Dogwood royalty contest; video entries due April 10

QUINCY — Arts Quincy is partnering with the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce to organize this year’s Dogwood royalty event. This year’s theme is “May the Fourth Be with You: The Power of Community.”

A Little King and Queen (ages 7-10 years old) and a Prince and Princess (ages 4-6 years old) will be crowned. Winners will ride with Arts Quincy in the Chamber’s Dogwood parade on Saturday, May 4.

To enter to become Dogwood Royalty, contestants must submit a short video explaining what the power of community means to them that also incorporates the Star Wars theme. Videos must be uploaded to Arts Quincy’s website by April 10 for consideration.

Each child will be scored by a panel of five judges in three areas:

• Passion: The child’s content and thoughts about what makes a community.
• Poise: Stage presence and clearly stating an idea.
• Personality: Having fun with the theme and being enthusiastic about what makes Quincy a great place to live.

The Quincy Town Center previously had organized a traditional pageant to crown a Little King and Queen but stepped away from that role this year.

In a press release, Laura Sievert, Arts Quincy executive director, said, “We are excited to be organizing this contest. It’s a bit different from a pageant format, but this new twist that makes it easy for today’s busy families to participate and opens the contest up to a larger group of kids. It’s such a great opportunity for children to share their thoughts about the meaning of community and to have some fun with the Star Wars ‘May the Fourth’ theme that the Chamber has chosen. We’re looking forward to seeing all the video submissions.”

All families who enter the contest will be gifted a one-year family membership to Arts Quincy, which includes a magazine subscription and holiday gift. Winners will receive a crown, a sash and an arts- themed prize pack.

Contestants must live inside Quincy city limits. Age requirements should be as of May 4, 2024.

Videos should be under 60 seconds but no longer than 90 seconds. Videos will be accepted until 5 p.m. on April 10 at https://www.artsquincy.org/dogwood. No late submissions will be allowed.

Businesses or people who would like to support the contest can become sponsors. Call 217-222-3432 or email office@artsquincy.org for more information. To learn about programs and more, visit artsquincy.org.