Unleash Your Artivism! HINAC7 Announces HUMANities Art Contest

The HIV Is Not A Crime National Training Academy’s (HINAC) Hospitality & Culture Work Group will soon begin accepting submissions for HINAC7’s HUMANities Art Contest.

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HINAC7 and our planning partners invite anyone living with HIV to submit artwork that “centers on the lives and art of people living with HIV.”

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A webinar explaining how to submit your work for consideration will be held August 25, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. MT / 3 p.m. PT. Please register for the webinar here. Following the webinar, a recording and slides will be available through the submission form.

Past submissions have explored themes including challenging stigma, elevating the voices of people impacted by HIV criminalization, and thinking beyond behavior. This year, three HINAC7 full scholarships will be awarded to contest winners of each category: Visual, Written, and Spoken Word. Winners will also have their work adapted into postcards that will be distributed as part of educational campaigns, with a focus on reaching legislators.

Submissions will be accepted globally in an effort to amplify the voices of people living with HIV (PLHIV). However, due to budget limitations, scholarship winners will be selected only from within the United States.

Kamaria Laffrey, HINAC7 Co-Coordinator and Hospitality & Culture Work Group Co-Chair states:

“I believe that art has the unique power to break down stigma, spark critical conversations, and humanize the fight against HIV criminalization. Through creative expression, we can amplify voices, challenge outdated laws, and inspire communities to demand justice and compassion. While we regret the limitations on scholarship eligibility, every voice matters, and this contest remains a vital platform for advocacy beyond legislative strategies and community education.”

HINAC is a biennial gathering of PLHIV, HIV policy leaders, and other stakeholders, primarily from the U.S. HINAC educates and trains advocates and centers PLHIV leadership in efforts to end HIV criminalization, mass incarceration, racism, and social injustice.

HINAC6 Art Contest winner in the visual category, Todd Fuqua says:

“I entered the HUMANities Art Contest because art can say what policy language often cannot. HIV criminalization is built on fear, stigma, and outdated ideas about people living with HIV. Art gives us a way to challenge those narratives and imagine something better. For me, artivism is about making people feel the human cost of these laws while also showing the freedom, dignity, and joy that become possible when we replace punishment with science and compassion.”

Applicants may submit photos, short videos, documents, or other forms of creative work that express what it means to them when laws target PLHIV for prosecution and excessive punishment, including laws that place sole responsibility for sexual health decisions on PLHIV.

The submission form will open after the August 25 webinar. Register now to learn more about the application process:

Register for the August 25 webinar

For more information about the HIV Is Not A Crime National Training Academy, visit our Facebook page or learn more on the Sero Project website. You may also contact Tami Haught, HINAC Co-Executive Director, at tami.haught@seroproject.com.

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