India, April 25 -- A chamber music piece that critiques Apartheid-era oppression, a poem exploring self-censorship within the LGBTQ community, and a paper etching made from shredded anti-transgender legislation are among student works awarded in the 2024 Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program. It was the first year of an expanded competition that included music and poetry works in addition to art.

Students affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Music, Department of English and Department of Art were invited to submit works focused on the theme of self-expression and freedom of speech, inspired by an 1860 quote from Frederick Douglass: "To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well...