Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center's
Dennis Thomas 22nd Annual
Art and Writing Challenge & Youth Activist Grant
Topic/Prompt for Art & Writing Challenge 2020:
"Our Connected Planet"
(COVID-19 Update)
From personal experience as well as speaking with some of our student organizers, the Peace Center has found that art and writing is a therapeutic, meditative, and transformative practice. It allows us to contextualize and process our feelings and thoughts as well as help us translate stress into something concrete, healing, and tangible. What better to practice during a quarantine?
In light of COVID-19, we made necessary changes to the format of the Art and Writing Challenge / Activist Grants.
Our submission deadline for both the Art and Writing Challenge as well as the Youth Activist Grant nominations was extended to MAY 15TH at Midnight via GOOGLE FORMS: www.tinyurl.com/artandwriting2020
Middle School and High School Grand Prize Winners
We would like to extend a huge thank you to every student, teacher, and community member who participated in and helped to support our contest this year. This annual challenge for students is one of the highlights of our programming and we are consistently inspired by the submissions we get from local students. Despite uncertain times amidst a global pandemic, students poured intention, care, and great thought into their submissions this year.
We could not be more proud to present our selected winners below! To view writing entries, click the linked text.
Grand Prize Winners
High School
Gayathri Viswanath
“Climate Change & Capitalism” (Essay - click to read)
9th Grade, Dougherty Valley High School
Middle School
Gabriella Bertot
“Our Planet” (Visual Art)
8th Grade, Orinda Intermediate SchoolMIDDLE SCHOOL VISUAL ART FIRST PRIZE:
Indie Lee
8th Grade, Orinda Intermediate School
First Prize Winners
MIDDLE SCHOOL WRITING:
Dr. Hisham Ahmed First Prize Award
Abigail Hui (click to read)
6th Grade, Stanley Middle School
HIGH SCHOOL VISUAL ART
Persephone Reynolds First Prize Award:
Cindy Zhou
“Serenity”
10th Grade, Dougherty Valley High School
HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY:
Leanne Schlegel First Prize Award:
Nihal Nadipally
“Attempting to Solve Climate and Social Justice” (click to read)
9th grade—Dougherty Valley HS
HIGH SCHOOL CREATIVE WRITING
Ean Reynolds First Prize Award:
Emily Hora
“Soon to be Theirs” (click to read)
12th grade, Monte Vista High School
From personal experience as well as speaking with some of our student organizers, the Peace Center has found that art and writing is a therapeutic, meditative, and transformative practice. It allows us to contextualize and process our feelings and thoughts as well as help us translate stress into something concrete, healing, and tangible. What better to practice during a quarantine?
In light of COVID-19, we made necessary changes to the format of the Art and Writing Challenge / Activist Grants.
- First, we have added an additional (completely optional) component to the prompt/theme. We would like to give students an opportunity to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on their lives and the world. What lessons are we learning? How do we build strong communities to help us get through these situations in the future?
Our submission deadline for both the Art and Writing Challenge as well as the Youth Activist Grant nominations was extended to MAY 15TH at Midnight via GOOGLE FORMS: www.tinyurl.com/artandwriting2020
- To submit visual art, take a birds-eye photograph of your piece, ensuring that it is properly lit and in focus.
- All writing submissions should be submitted as a WORD or GOOGLE Document, please no PDFs!
- All activist grant submissions should be made with the available nomination form: https://creatingpeacefulschools.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/3/4/14347576/youth_activist_grant_application_2020.doc
Middle School and High School Grand Prize Winners
- $250 each – for outstanding work, all categories considered
- HS First Prize Winners
- Visual Art: $100
- Creative Writing: $100
- Essay: $100
- Middle School First Prize Winners
- Visual Art: $100
- Creative Writing: $100
- Essay: $100
- HS & Middle School Honorable Mentions
- Winners of this category will have their work and name featured on our website / social media pages.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to every student, teacher, and community member who participated in and helped to support our contest this year. This annual challenge for students is one of the highlights of our programming and we are consistently inspired by the submissions we get from local students. Despite uncertain times amidst a global pandemic, students poured intention, care, and great thought into their submissions this year.
We could not be more proud to present our selected winners below! To view writing entries, click the linked text.
Grand Prize Winners
High School
Gayathri Viswanath
“Climate Change & Capitalism” (Essay - click to read)
9th Grade, Dougherty Valley High School
Middle School
Gabriella Bertot
“Our Planet” (Visual Art)
8th Grade, Orinda Intermediate SchoolMIDDLE SCHOOL VISUAL ART FIRST PRIZE:
Indie Lee
8th Grade, Orinda Intermediate School
First Prize Winners
MIDDLE SCHOOL WRITING:
Dr. Hisham Ahmed First Prize Award
Abigail Hui (click to read)
6th Grade, Stanley Middle School
HIGH SCHOOL VISUAL ART
Persephone Reynolds First Prize Award:
Cindy Zhou
“Serenity”
10th Grade, Dougherty Valley High School
HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY:
Leanne Schlegel First Prize Award:
Nihal Nadipally
“Attempting to Solve Climate and Social Justice” (click to read)
9th grade—Dougherty Valley HS
HIGH SCHOOL CREATIVE WRITING
Ean Reynolds First Prize Award:
Emily Hora
“Soon to be Theirs” (click to read)
12th grade, Monte Vista High School
Honorable Mentions:
Things to Do to Fill Your Soul
By Shaianne Sampaio
7th Grade—Martinez Junior High School
“Protection”
By: Kristina Strazhnikov
10th Grade—Northgate High School
“The Greatest Form of Flattery”
Things to Do to Fill Your Soul
By Shaianne Sampaio
7th Grade—Martinez Junior High School
“Protection”
By: Kristina Strazhnikov
10th Grade—Northgate High School
“The Greatest Form of Flattery”