Honoring a Personal Hero — Gandhi — via the Adobe Creativity Challenge

Mahatma Gandhi, one of my personal heroes, is a man who is remembered and celebrated for his impactful leadership and relentless dedication to his cause. At Adobe, we believe in the importance of fostering the skills required for the young people of today to become the leaders of tomorrow, wherever their passions might lead them. For us, the pathway to successful leadership hinges on the opportunity to develop both digital and creative literacy early in life, which is why, in commemoration of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary on October 2, 2019, I’m excited to announce that Adobe will host a creativity challenge in partnership with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the national level board of education in India.

The contest, titled “Adobe Creativity Challenge,” tasks students across CBSE’s 20,000 affiliated schools to use Adobe Creative Cloud tools – including Adobe Spark, Premiere Rush and Photoshop Express – to design projects that pay homage to Gandhian values and philosophy. In December 2019, nine schools with top submissions, as selected by the contest jury, will be announced as winners.

Adobe has previously released research findings that indicate the intersection of technology and creativity plays a vital role in Gen Z’s long-term career preparedness. This is a personal passion of mine as well. As the executive sponsor of the Adobe Creative Residency – a year-long program that empowers creatives just starting out in their careers the ability to experiment and pursue a creative project with the help of mentors, experts and access to Adobe’s leading suite of creative tools – I’ve seen first-hand the impact these programs can have on the lives of young people.

As a global organization, we are deeply invested in enabling the adoption of creative tools in schools so students can develop the digital skillsets and technical know-how needed to succeed in a world increasingly driven by technology. India has one of the most vibrant educational ecosystems in the world and there is a growing need to grant increased access to creative tools in Indian classrooms.

I’m proud to work for a company that can make this possible at scale, and this latest program, in partnership in CBSE, will allow us to reach even more burgeoning creatives and deepen our impact on the next generation of leaders.

As modern India’s father of the nation so eloquently put it: “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” We cannot underestimate the power of creativity to shape our world. We can’t wait to see what this Creativity Challenge will unearth. We wish all participants the best of luck and a reminder that “The future depends on what you do today.”

The Adobe Creativity Challenge portal will be open from November 1 – November 20, 2019, inviting students from grades 6-12 to submit work that celebrates the life and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.. For more information regarding the contest, themes and eligibility criteria, visit: www.adobemarketing.co.in/CreativityChallenge.

The coming together of my personal passion for enabling creativity for every student; my hero’s birthday; and the fact that a school that I went to (http://ncsdelhi.nesnavy.in/) can participate in this challenge, is a career highlight for me. I can’t wait to see the work of the students.