ABOVE PHOTO: “Strokes” by Harriton High School student Autumn Gordon, one of the art category winners of the 2023 Art and Prose of Freedom Contest.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. -– Montgomery County has announced that its third annual Art and Prose of Freedom Contest is now open for applications. The contest gives K through 12th-grade students from across Montgomery County the chance to express hope, celebrate freedom and inspire action through original and unique works of art, poems, and essays. This year’s theme is “Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow” and submissions will be accepted until Sunday, April 7 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
“We invite all students in Montgomery County public, private, parochial, or home schools to use their creativity and submit art that embodies hope, celebrates freedom, and inspires action for a better future,” said Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “I hope that any parents, art teachers or English teachers can consider if any of their curricula dovetails with the contest theme.”
Last year almost a hundred submissions were received, and eight winners had their work presented at the 2023 Juneteenth flag-raising at the Montgomery County Courthouse.
“This is our third year of hosting this contest, and each year I have been inspired and uplifted by our talented young students of Montgomery County,” said Donna L. Richemond, Montgomery County’s diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. “We want to encourage the County’s young artists, poets, and essay writers to use their talents to celebrate freedom and show what hope for a bright future looks like to them.”
This year, winners will be chosen from across the three submission categories (poetry, short essays, and art) and from across three age brackets. All participants will receive a certificate of participation. Winners will receive $100 gift cards, and first-place prizes will be awarded at the County’s Juneteenth Flag Raising event in June 2024.
More information about the contest, including key dates, guidelines, and suggested resources, is available online at: www.montgomerycountypa.gov.
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