Student Art & Essay Contest
About the Contest
The annual Armed Services YMCA Art and Essay Contest is officially launched every November and is open to all eligible children of U.S. active duty or retired service members. Winners are chosen the following Spring.
Winners of both the art and essay contests have their winning entries displayed at 33 Armed Services YMCA Branches and affiliate locations, as well as military bases worldwide during Military Family Month in November, 2012. The Armed Services YMCA awards U.S. Savings bonds totaling $7,600 to 1st and 2nd place winners of both contests, as well as honorable mention recipients of the essay contest.
“Our annual art and essay contest allows children to express their love, appreciation and admiration for their military heroes,” said Mike Landers, CAPT, USN (Ret), and CEO of ASYMCA. “Their essays and artwork also serve to remind us of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform, and their families, make each day for our country.”
Entries for the art contest depict the theme, “My Military Family.” Co-sponsored by GEICO, the art contest promotes art among children in grades K–6 of active duty or retired (with 20+ years of service) members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard/Reserves families.
Co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin, the essay contest promotes reading and writing among children and teens of active duty military or retirees from all six branches, and students in grades 1–12 are asked to write about “My Military Hero.”
2013 Art & Essay Contest Information will be available on our website in Fall, 2012. Congratulations to our 2012 Winners below. The Armed Services YMCA would like to thank all of our Military Families who participated.
2012 Art Contest Winners
Sponsored by GEICO
Air Force
1st Place: Jailyn Shumpert | 6th grade | APO
2nd Place: Mackenzie Jordan | 5th grade | APO
Army
1st Place: Lynette Clark | 6th grade | Fort Benning, GA
2nd Place: Sophie Conde | 6th grade | Alaska
Coast Guard
1st Place: Andrew Noll |6th grade | Orlando, FL
2nd Place: Megan Gradel | 6th grade | Maryland Hts, MO
Marine Corps
1st Place: Daphnee Vigil | 3rd grade| San Angelo, TX
2nd Place: Charles Roth-Douquet | 3rd grade | APO
National Guard/Reserves
1st Place: Kelly Griffin | 3rd grade | Carlisle, PA
2nd Place: John Griffin | 5th grade | Carlisle, PA
Navy
1st Place: Ashley Verhassett | 4th grade | Oceanside, CA
2nd Place: Gabriel Crane | 1st grade | Annapolis, MD
2012 Essay Contest Winners
Sponsored by Lockheed Martin
First & Second Grades
1st Place: Skylee Brown | age 8 | Clarksville, TN | Army
2nd Place: Keziah Dawn | age 7 | Arlington, TX | National Guard
Third & Fourth Grades
1st Place: Kyle Baldwin | age 10 | APO | USMC
2nd Place: Ayessa Ordanez | age 9 | Oceanside, CA | Navy
Fifth & Sixth Grades 1st Place: Eve Glenn | age 10 | APO | Air Force
2nd Place: Audrey Clark | age 11 | Virginia Beach, VA | Navy
Seventh & Eighth Grades
1st Place: Emily McClimans | age 13 | Copley, OH | Army
2nd Place: Lauren McCabe | age 12 | Edmond, OK | Navy
Ninth & Tenth Grades
1st Place: Jacqueline Devlin | age 15 | Gainesville, FL | Army
2nd Place: Camila Moreira | age 16 | Lawton, OK | Army
Eleventh & Twelfth Grades
1st Place: Kaitlynn McCulloh | age 17 | San Marcos, CA | USMC
2nd Place: Tristin Brianna | age 16 | Altus, OK | Air Force