Youth Art Contest
Because children’s mental health matters!
The Children’s Feelings are a Work of Art – Youth Art Contest is an activity to raise awareness about children’s mental health in Denton County. We encourage children and teens across the county to participate in this art contest as we recognize the importance of children’s mental health to every person in our community.
2023 Youth Art Contest
December 2 – March 1, 2023
We invite all Denton County youth to enter this year’s Youth Art Contest with the theme “My feelings are a work of art.”
General Participation Guidelines:
- The art contest is open to all school-aged children and teens in Denton County.
- There are five art categories – visual arts, literature, photography, physical activity, and sculpture. Children/teens may submit up to one entry. See below for details about each category.
- The artwork or literature must be the original work of a child/teen. This art contest is designed to encourage each child/teen to express themselves and their emotions. Help from an adult is not allowed, except in the Special Artist division.
- Special Artists/Authors are children who identify as having a disability. Special Artists may receive non-artistic accommodation and assistance from an adult.
Categories:
Visual Arts Guidelines
Visual Arts include many art forms that are visual in nature. The artist (child/teen submitting an entry) is a person who captures their own thoughts and ideas to create a visual piece of art.
Accepted forms of visual art include: original print, drawing, painting, collage, and computer-generated.
Literature Guidelines
Literature is the art of writing. The author (child/teen submitting an entry) is a person who expresses their own thoughts and ideas through the use of words.
Accepted forms of literature include: prose, poetry, reflective essay, narrative, or short story. Literature may be fiction or non-fiction. Literature must not be more than 2,000 words. Hand written and typed entries are accepted, one-sided only.
Photography Guidelines
Photography is the art or practice of taking and processing photographs. The artist (child/teen submitting an entry) is a person who captures their own thoughts and ideas through the use of photograph.
Portrait and landscape orientation photographs can be submitted. There is a possibility photos will be resized/cropped for display. For best results, submissions should be at least 900×720 pixels. Do NOT submit a photo with faces of anyone except the artist.
Physical Activity Guidelines
Physical activity is defined as using energy to create bodily movement. The artist (child/teen submitting an entry) is a person who expresses their own thoughts and ideas through movement.
Submissions in the physical activity category MUST be submitted via photograph. There is a possibility photos will be resized/cropped for display. For best results, submissions should be at least 900×720 pixels. Do NOT submit a photo with faces of anyone except the artist.
Sculpture Guidelines
Sculpture is the art of creating a three-dimensional image or representation. The artist (child/teen submitting an entry) is a person who expresses their own thoughts and ideas through the creation of the sculpture.
Submissions in the sculpture category MUST be submitted via photograph. There is a possibility photos will be resized/cropped for display. For best results, submissions should be at least 900×720 pixels.
Enter (parent signature required):
- Enter the contest by completing the digital submission form – Don’t forget to upload a photo of your artwork – You will receive an automated email upon successful submission
- Spanish forms are available for our Spanish speaking families – complete Entry Form and Artwork Release and submit with photo of artwork to watchdenton@cookchildrens.org
- Send questions to alisa.quimby@cookchildrens.org
Save the Date:
- Artwork will be displayed at our Art Gallery on Saturday, May 20, 2023
- Stay tuned for location and more details
Questions can be directed to alisa.quimby@cookchildrens.org.
If you need to talk or if you are concerned about someone, please call the Denton County Crisis Hotline at 1-800-762-0157.
Winners from previous year’s art contests can be found below.
See 2022 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2022, we received 98 entries from children in 20 different cities across Denton County. Here are the winning entries:
See 2021 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2021, we received 51 entries from children in 12 different cities across Denton County. Here are the winning entries:
See 2020 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2020, we received 247 entries from children in 21 different cities across Denton County.
Visual Arts (by grade)
Pre-K:
K-1:
2-3
4th
5th (tie)
&
6th
7-8
9-12
Visual Arts – Special Artist (by grade)
2-3
4th
5-6
7-8
Literature (by grade)
K-1
4th
12th
Photography (by grade)
4th
12th
Sculpture (by grade)
Pre-K
K-1
2-3
See 2019 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2019, we received 47 entries from children in 13 different cities across Denton County!
2019 Contest Winners
Kindergarten – 1st Grade Visual Art category
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1st Place
My Colorful Emotions Opshori, 6 “Like a tree has so many branches, I have so many emotions.” |
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2nd Place
Feelings! Emma, 6 “me. my feelings someties I am full of energey like lightning. I feel happe. I feel jealous and mad.” |
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3rd Place
Happiness Kazyn, 7 “I made it a really colorful happy work of art because that makes me happy.” |
2nd Grade – 4th Grade Visual Arts category
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1st Place
Failure of Innocence Grace, 10 “The background represents feeling melding together because we don’t just feel happy or sad, we feel happy but overjoyed, maybe even a bit confused. My face for this self portrait is only showing touches of feeling for sometimes you feel only slightly with emotions as though a robot.” |
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2nd Place
Feelings with Colors Lauren, 8 “It shows what you are feeling by color, like a mood ring.” |
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3rd Place
Feelings with Braxton Brooks, 8 “The picture with the rainbow is happy! The picture with the rain is sad. Each day with Braxton felt like rainbows, and when I moved it made me feel like rain.” |
5th Grade – 8th Grade Visual Arts category
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1st Place
untitled G, 14 “Since Im locked up and am about to be released, I feel ike I’m still following bad things.” |
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2nd Place
Lost in space Casey, 13 “Sometimes I feel as if I am falling through space. Which can be terrifying because I feel there is no where to turn and nobody to turn to. However, it can beautiful all at the same time.” |
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3rd Place
untitled Calyse, 11 “A slight struggle of having dyslexia, reading problems and not being able to comprehend some words that are difficult for me to read or pronounce.” |
9th Grade – 12th Grade Visual Arts category
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1st Place
Learning to Love my Reflection J, 16 “Inspired by my younger sisters and my old self. I used to struggle with self image and loving/accepting myself for who I am. Throughout middle school I was bullied for not having perfect skin or straight teeth and I know many other teens (not just girls) struggle with their identity, appearance and other insecurities whether that be height, weight, sexuality, skin color, disabilities etc. With this piece I wanted to showcase that feeling and give a voice to those who do struggle with self love and self esteem and to know that they’re not alone.” |
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2nd Place
untitled M, 15 “This is me traped because I can’t find a way to let my feelings escape and I hide my emotions from others.” |
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3rd Place
Save Me M, 16 “its a hand Reaching for a key which represents myself Reaching for the key/meaning of my life and what i represent in the world with all these battle scars or past events that hurt me and helped me learn from mistakes ive made in my life. and the chained cuff Represents myself feeling like a slave to the world” |
Literature category
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1st Place
The Lamp J, 16 “my poem represents teenage girls in today’s society and how most view themselves because of social media and their peers. But the girl (lamp) finding her inner light and becoming happy with whats on the the inside.” |
Special Artist category
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1st Place
untitled Serenity, 8 “drawing herself and a apple tree. She is drawing flowers. Feeling happy” |
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2nd Place
untitled Lola, 7 “My feeling is happy and I treat others how I want to be treated” |
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3rd Place
Sun Kareem, 18 “Feelings” |
See 2018 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2018, we received 78 entries from children in xx different cities across Denton County.
2018 Art Contest winners
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Visual Arts, grades K-1
Visual Arts, grades 2-4
Visual Arts, grades 5-8
Visual Arts, grades 9-12
Literature, grade 2
Literature, grades 8-12
See 2017 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2017, we received 159 entries from children in 9 different cities across Denton County! Winning pieces of artwork and literature were on display across Denton County throughout 2017.
2017 Art Contest winners
Visual Arts, grades PreK-Kindergarten
First place: Natalia, age 4, “Me and my best friends”
Second place: Aliana, age 5, “Estoy triste (I am sad)”
Visual Arts, grades 1-2
First place: Jensen, age 6, “This Makes Me Feel Calm”
Visual Arts, grade 3
First place: Kamryn, age 9, “The Hart of Love & Hope”
Second place: Aiden, age 9, “Sad and mad”
Third place: Julian, age 9, “Spots of rainbow”
Visual Arts, grade 4
First place: Zoe, age 9, “exploding volcano”
Second place: Rachel, age 10, “Inside-Out”
Third place: Jaxon, age 10, “Ugly hair”
Visual Arts, grades 5-6
First place: Meera, age 12, “Confusion”
Second place: Daniella, age 11, “Many Feelings, Many Emojis”
Visual Arts, grades 7-8
First place: Phillip, age 14, “Heart U.S. Mind”
Second place: Vivien, age 13, “Escaping Reality”
Third place: Alyssa, age 13, “Part of Her”
Visual Arts, grades 9-12
First place: Nick, age 16, “Mind hunted”
Literature, grades 3-5
First place: Elliott, age 9, “My Feelings”
Literature, grades 7-9
First place: Maya, age 12, “Mom’s Car”
Literature, grades 10-12
First place: James, age 17, “CHAINED”
See 2016 Art Contest Winners Here!
In 2016, we received 113 entries from children in 17 different cities across Denton County! Winning pieces of artwork and literature are online and were on display across Denton County from May to August 2016 in recognition of Mental Health Month.
2016 Art Contest winners
Visual Arts, grades PreK-1
Visual Arts, grades 2-3
Visual Arts, grades 4-5
Visual Arts, grades 6-8
Visual Arts, grades 6-8 (Special Artists)
Visual Arts, grades 9-11
Literature, grades 6-7
Literature, grades 8-11