2021 Winners Announced!

The 2021 Texas Mental Health Awareness Creative Arts Contest brought in nearly 700 submissions! This year’s selection was particularly moving, with so many entries focused on the impacts of Covid-19, social isolation, and grief on one’s mental health. You can also follow our Instagram, where we’ll showcase even more awesome entries throughout the year. Thank you all for participating, and we look forward to seeing your work next year!

Visual Art Winners

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Adult Original Artwork

• 1st: “All Scars Take Time to Heal” by Ruth Hardy
• 2nd: “Anguish” by Stephanee Ann
• 3rd: “Lost in Space” by Mario Leal
• Hon. Mention: “The Daily Buzz” by Tra’ Slaughter
• Hon. Mention: “Speranza” by Yeltsin Canini
• Hon. Mention: “Normalize Mental Health'” by Anjali Golwala
• Hon. Mention: “The Little Signs of Healing” by Olivia Rains
• Hon. Mention: “Not Easily Broken” by Shuanteya Sherman

High School Original Artwork

• 1st: “Compartmentalized” by Trevor T.
• 2nd: “Foreign but Familiar” by Lauren D.
• 3rd: “Anhedonia” by Graceson C.
• Hon. Mention: “Reform, Rebirth, Reinvent” by Abigail C.
• Hon. Mention: “Guiding Light” by Nicole A.
• Hon. Mention: “Control” by Elif S.

Middle School Original Artwork

• 1st: “Mental Health Matters” by Dev J.
• 2nd: “‘Untitled” by Izabella R.
• 3rd: “You Survive the Challenge” by Noemi V.
• Hon. Mention: “Lost in Thought” by M.C.
• Hon. Mention: “Social Anxiety” by Sage S.
• Hon. Mention: “In My Eyes” by Allison P.

Elementary Original Artwork

• 1st: “What Mental Health Means to Me” by Ruby E.
• 2nd: “In a Sea of Sadness” by Ava R.
• 3rd: “Positive and Negative Thoughts” by Edward J.
• Hon. Mention: “Treasure Mental Health” by Jackson D.
• Hon. Mention: “Yes Day and No Day” by Celine Derya T.
• Hon. Mention: “Flowing into Mental Health” by Carlos O.

Photography (Overall)

• 1st: “Intersectionality” by Shayna Sutton
• 2nd: “Low” by Melissa Dorris
• 3rd: “100 Pieces; 1 Puzzle” by Alexis Hicks
• Hon. Mention: “Boulevard of Opportunity” by Tyler Eynon
• Hon. Mention: “Anxiety” by Donnell B.

Writing Winners

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Adult Writing

• 1st: “A Beautiful Walk” by Melissa Heinrichs
• 2nd: “Look Through My Eyes“ by Alaina Brownlee
• 3rd: “Mental Health Matters” by Yalonda McCutcheon
• Hon. Mention: “Courage” by Lauri Cherian
• Hon. Mention: “Falling In” by Tobi A.

High School Writing

• 1st: “We Heal Together” by Amelia S.
• 2nd: “for the two strangers who became lovers and eventually… my parents” by Valentina A.
• 3rd: “An Angel is Now in the Sky” by Amy P.
• Hon. Mention: “Another Day, Another Battle” by Taylor G.
• Hon. Mention: “The Woman” by Tiffany P.

Middle School Writing

• 1st: “Fragile” by Ellen R.
• 2nd: “Seven” by Chandler M.
• 3rd: “Boundaries of the Mind” by Ronok G.
• Hon. Mention: “The Good and the Bad” by Emily H.
• Hon. Mention: “Hope” by Kate O.

Elementary Writing

• 1st: “Just Fidgeting” by Juliet L.
• 2nd: “Kitku” by Jackson G.
• 3rd: “Why Does Mental Health Matter to Me?” by Alyssa M.