Each year, Springtide explores a different facet of young people’s religious and spiritual lives; in 2023 we turned to look at how young people experience the sacred. One of the key learnings of this year’s research is that young people have “sacred moments,” and they involve combinations of people, places, objects, feelings, and experiences. While some elements may be universal to how young people experience the sacred, they are more often completely unique and tailored to each person. 

We surveyed thousands of young people ages 13 to 25 and interviewed dozens more for this research — and we wanted to find another way for young people to creatively express what is sacred to them. Anyone between the ages of 13 to 25 can join this year’s efforts by submitting an original photo plus caption to My Sacred Space. 

My Sacred Space is an online photo gallery that Springtide is creating to allow young people to show what they consider to be sacred via a photo they take and submit. This original photograph can be of a place, object(s), or any other element that the young person considers sacred (just no human faces shown in photograph, please). 

To participate, use this form to upload one photo (JPG or PNG format) with:  

• An accompanying caption of not more than 90 words describing the object(s) or scene in the photo and why it is sacred to you.  

• Your name, email address, and age.  

All selected photos will be curated into a digital experience that displays the depth and breadth of how young people experience the sacred. For privacy, all selected photos will be shown with age and caption only; names and email addresses will be kept confidential.  

The deadline to submit is Sunday, October 1st at 11:59pm PST.