HERE for Houston

Rap Writing Contest

Our sincere thanks to the Charlos Ward and Lee M. Riley Endowed Fund
for their generous support of CERCL's High School Outreach Initiatives.

CERCL is proud to launch the HERE for Houston Rap Writing Contest, a new opportunity for students to use their creativity, think critically and present solutions to build their community. This initiative expands on the High School Essay Contest (2008-2024) mission to reach more students and school districts. Educators, click here to learn more about Hip Hop pedagogy!

Prompt | CONTEST FLYER

Write a rap song that addresses a major challenge facing your community. Explain how this issue affects both you and those around you, and suggest ideas or actions that can help solve the problem.

Contest Eligibility | SCHOOL LIST

Houston area 10th and 11th grade students who attend select Title I public high schools

Writing Workshops | REGISTER

Any student interested in participating in the contest can attend our writing workshop for help with their submission.

In-Person Writing Workshop @ Rice University

Saturday, October 18, 10 am - 2 pm | Registration is Required
Students who attend the in-person workshop automatically make it through the first round of judging.

Prizes

All who enter

  • Invitation to College Essay Writing Workshop (spring semester)
  • Rice University Tour (spring semester)
  • Q&A with Financial Aid & Admissions representatives
  • Q&A with current Rice students

Top 15

  • Princeton Review SAT Prep Course (spring semester)

Top 10

  • Invitation to perform your song at the awards ceremony (late February/early March 2026)
  • Top 10 entrants must perform their song at the awards ceremony to qualify for winning prizes

Contest Winners (from top 10 invited to perform at the award ceremony)

  • 1st place - $750
  • 2nd place - $500
  • 3rd place - $250

Songwriting and Recording

  • Compose and record an original song in response to the following prompt:
    Write a rap song that addresses a major challenge facing your community. Explain how this issue affects both you and those around you, and suggest ideas or actions that can help solve the problem.
  • Your song should have three verses. Each verse should be 16 bars in length.
  • Your song should have a chorus/hook as well.
  • Please note:
    • Do what you can with what you have! We do NOT expect studio quality song recordings.
    • It is perfectly acceptable to record your song as a voice memo on your phone while your backing track plays in the background on another device

Required Elements | SUBMISSION FORM

Mp3 recording of you performing your song
How to upload an mp3 file to Google drive

Song Title Explanation

  • 2 or 3 sentences on why you picked your song’s title and how it connects to your response to the prompt
  • Make sure to CITE any allusions or references (author/artist, title, publisher, year, and any other relevant information)

Backing Track (2 - 3 sentences)

  • If you used a track from an existing song, provide a full citation: artist name, song title, song producer, publisher, album title, and year of release
  • If you decide to rap a cappella, explain how your choice to do so connects to your response to the prompt
  • If you made the track yourself, name the app(s) and/or tools you used to create it
    Example: I created the backing track using Splice. I searched for a track using the terms “bouncy” and “bright” since I wanted the song to be upbeat to match the excitement we have about rolling out a new format for the high school essay contest. I put the song together using GarageBand.

Song Lyrics

  • You will need to paste your song lyrics without any explanations or context into the submission form before you break down your lyrics.
  • Your song should have three 16-bar verses and a chorus
  • Label each part of the song (Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Verse 3)

Lyrical Breakdown

  • Choose lines to explain
    • Select FIVE LINES from each 16-bar verse
    • Select at least ONE LINE from your chorus
  • Explain your writing
    • For each selected line, write a 1 - 2 sentence explanation that helps the listener understand your response to the prompt in plain language
    • Your explanations should:
      • Clearly show how your lyrics support the message or theme of your song
      • Briefly describe any artistic or creative decisions you made (explain why you chose certain words, imagery, or techniques)
      • Make sure to CITE any allusion or references you make in your lyrics (author/artist, title, publisher, year, and any other relevant information).
  • Example:
    • Verse 1, Line 7: "You can’t be acting scary"
      Explanation: It’s important to acknowledge that it’s a big ask to request that people record a song and possibly perform in front of an audience, and it’s also important to acknowledge that one way to "get ready" is to move past fear to achieve success (Petriglieri, G. [2019]. Learning for a Living. MIT Sloan Management Review, Winter).

Citation Requirements

  • When referencing musical, literary, or cultural works, include appropriate citations within your annotations (author/artist, title, publisher, year, and any other relevant information).
  • When in doubt, cite it!

Selection Criteria | RUBRIC

The Selection Committee will review submissions and select the winners based on the following (link to full rubric):

  • Content
  • Lyricism
  • Structure & Organization
  • Style
  • Flow & Delivery
  • Citations
  • Stage Presence & Performance (top 10 live performances)

For inquiries or further clarification, please contact CERCL@rice.edu