SheKnows Media, a leading women's media company with 90.1 million unique visitors per month* and 256 million social media fans and followers, today announced that it has opened the call for entries for #TheFWord, a short-form video contest designed to explore the zeitgeist around feminism.

#TheFWord invites individuals of all genders, ethnicities and points of view living in the United States and Canada to submit brief, two- to three-minute videos describing what feminism means to them. SheKnows Media, in partnership with the Ms. Foundation for Women, launched the video contest to ignite conversation on feminism and intersectionality through the lens of powerful, personal storytelling.

The following prestigious panel of judges will help SheKnows Media determine the finalists once #TheFWord call for entries closes at 11:59 p.m. on February 19, 2016:

  • Laura Benanti, Tony Award-winning Broadway and television actress (“Gypsy,” “Nashville,” and “Supergirl”)
  • Connie Britton, Emmy-nominated actress, with stand-out roles on series such as “Nashville,” “American Horror Story” and “Friday Night Lights”
  • Kristen Joiner, President of The Representation Project
  • Tonya Lewis Lee, producer, entrepreneur and writer
  • Alexandra Posen, artist and Co-Founder of Zac Posen
  • Franchesca Ramsey, writer, actress and video blogger best known for her Chescaleigh Comedy channel and host of “MTV Decoded”
  • Michael Skolnik, civil rights activist and former President of Russell Simmons’ GlobalGrind.com
  • Jamia Wilson, Executive Director at Women, Action and the Media
  • Teresa C. Younger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Foundation

At a later phase in the competition, SheKnows Media will invite the public to vote for their favorite video. The winning video will be revealed at a special screening event taking place on April 12, 2016, in New York City, when the U.S. observes Equal Pay Day. #TheFWord winner will receive a prize package worth $5,000 from SheKnows Media, including $4,000 in cash. More about #TheFWord, including the contest submission guidelines, can be found here.

“#TheFWord is a unique project that will provide invaluable insight into how a diverse cross section of people identify with the concept of feminism,” said Teresa C. Younger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Foundation. “The Ms. Foundation for Women is honored to partner with SheKnows Media on this imperative work. As the head of an organization dedicated to building the collective power of women, I am proud to serve on the judges’ panel and look forward to viewing the entries.”

Franchesca Ramsey, writer, actress and video blogger, added, "There is a need for more dialogue about the way women of different backgrounds and ethnicities feel about feminism. #TheFWord, through the power of video, will help jump-start that conversation."

In addition to the short-form video contest, SheKnows Media will soon begin revealing qualitative and quantitative results from a new proprietary survey it launched to gauge how women of all backgrounds view the concept of feminism, whether or not they self-identify as a feminist, and if they perceive feminism to have a tangible impact on their day-to-day lives, careers, and relationships. More than 1,600 individuals responded to the survey, which closed in early January 2016. To understand how younger generations associate with feminism, SheKnows Media will augment the study by surveying teens and tweens.

“Feminism is a highly relevant yet polarizing topic, especially given hot-button issues like this year’s presidential election, pay equity, and gender equality in technology and media. Through visual storytelling and landmark research, our hope is that #TheFWord will shine light on how women of various ages, demographics and political affiliation diverge, but also find common ground, in how they relate to the concept of feminism,” said Samantha Skey, Chief Marketing Officer, SheKnows Media.

For more information about #TheFWord, click here or email TheFWord@SheKnows.com. To learn more about SheKnows Media, visit corporate.sheknows.com.

*comScore, Media Metrix, Multiplatform Key Measures Report, November 2015, U.S.

About SheKnows Media

SheKnows Media is the number-one women’s lifestyle digital media company with 90.1 million unique visitors per month (comScore, Media Metrix, Multiplatform Key Measures Report, November 2015, U.S.) and 256 million social media fans and followers. The company operates a family of leading media properties that include SheKnows.com, BlogHer.com, StyleCaster.com, DailyMakeover.com and DrinksMixer.com. With a mission of women inspiring women, SheKnows Media is revolutionizing the publishing industry by forging a new kind of model that seamlessly integrates users, editors and content creators onto a single platform designed to empower all women to discover, share and create. Whether it’s parenting or pop culture, fashion or food, DIY or décor, our award-winning editorial team, Experts, bloggers and social media influencers produce authentic and on-trend content every day. We dig deep to learn what makes our audience tick, revealing unexpected insights on women and digital media. Our robust, end-to-end suite of premium branded content and influencer marketing solutions generate more than 2 billion ad impressions per month (sources: DFP and OAS), allowing brands to distribute authentic content and integrated advertising at scale.

SheKnows Media is based in New York and Scottsdale, Ariz., with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Redwood City, Calif. We also operate internationally in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

About the Ms. Foundation for Women

For over 40 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has secured women’s rights and freedoms with a special commitment to building the power of low-income, immigrant and women of color. The foundation invests funds, time, expertise and training in organizations nationwide.

The Ms. Foundation works to bring attention to the real challenges facing women, especially women of color and low-income women who are living in poverty, working paycheck to paycheck or both. We tirelessly advocate for national and statewide policy change that will address these challenges, and we support more than 100 organizations throughout the country that are working for change on a grassroots level.