Congratulations to the amazing winners of this year’s Imagine Justice Youth Art Contest! Each winning artist earns a $500 prize and placement in the 2024 Imagine Justice Youth Art Calendar. Donate any amount today and you’ll receive the youth art calendar in the mail!

  Elementary School

WINNER 🥇

Artist

Aria McCall

Artist Statement
I am an artist and love to do art. My family is from NY and taught me to draw, and now I am very good at it. This drawing is about a woman who needs justice and is praying for it. You have to pray and protest for justice. I remember when George Floyd suffered and died that people prayed and protested and he got justice. There aren’t a lot of drawings of Black people receiving justice in history.

  Middle School

WINNER 🥇

Artist

Skanda R.

Artist Statement
The scales of justice is being represented in my artwork by the people who need it the most. Especially the economically and socially disadvantaged. I imagine the rays of enlightenment from the eye reaching those who require for it the most like the wrongfully incarcerated, victims of false cases and ensuring balance of order in society.

HONORABLE MENTION

Artist

Riley Acheson

Artist Statement
The digital piece—titled “We the People”— represents the injustices in minorities.  Three teens are shown holding signs that spell out “we demand justice”.

The right one is African American, wearing clothing deemed “against school dress codes” symbolising the sexualisation of women, especially women of color.

The one in the middle is a Ukrainian boy with the flag draped over his shoulders, symbolising the fight to end warfare.

The last person is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, with a pride flag around their shoulders, representing the fight to end hate and violence towards the queer community. This persona holds a mask with a smile to hide their insecurities and face, demonstrating depression and other mental health issues.

  High School

WINNER 🥇

Artist

Kennedy, McNeal

Artist Statement
GOD, COME OUT – 2023
Mixed-Media Painting on Canvas

Depiction of spirituality and queerness co-existing; contrast to the metaphorical oxymoron of sexual liberation with religious upbringing in black households through an abstract rendering of color, movement, and line work.

HONORABLE MENTION

Artist
Gina Yang

Artist Statement
My artwork reflects the theme of “Imagining Justice” through a symbolic representation of dismantling oppressive systems and envisioning a more just society. To me, the notion of imagining justice involves breaking down the barriers that hinder its realization. Breaking the woods with a hammer serves as a call for change and an invitation to challenge existing power structures. The absence of human figures in the painting highlights the universal nature of justice, which should be available to people regardless of their race, gender, or social status.