Contest Guidelines

Prompt

Create artwork that depicts resiliency and/or conveys its importance in mental well-being.

Questions that may help you follow this prompt:

• What hopeful message can you share with a friend who is going through a difficult time?
• How do you tune out intrusive negative thoughts/feelings?
• What do you do to relax after a stressful day?
• What are some of the ways you keep going when life gets tough?

Purpose

The GEM Project Dayton Art Contest is for students grades 6 - 12 interested in using their creativity to support those who struggle with their mental health.

Eligibility

1. Participating students must live in the Greater Dayton region (Montgomery and its surrounding counties: Clark, Greene, Warren, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Miami).
2. Artwork must follow all rules stated below.

Rules

1. Artwork must be original and completed solely by the entrant. AI-generated artwork is not allowed.
2. Artwork must be 2-D.
3. Artwork should send an impactful message that prompts conversation with its viewers or encourages those whostruggle with their mental health to reach out for help.
4. Entrants must submit an artist’s statement that includes the message they want to give to the viewer, their reasons for entering the contest, and/or any other information they want to share about their submission.
5. Artwork may be oriented in landscape or portrait format.
6. GEM Project Dayton has the sole right to refuse submissions based on poor quality of the image, personal/identifying markers on the artwork (like signatures or school mascots), failure to meet contest requirements, poor craftsmanship, inappropriateness of content, and/or concerns regarding copyright infringement in the original work.
7. Entries are limited to one per person.
8. Submissions must be visible, clear, and in focus; submitted as a JPEG, PNG, or WEBP format; and feature only the artwork with no superfluous background or people in the image or hands or clips holding the artwork.
9. Submissions must be made through this website: artcontest.gemprojectdayton.org

Judging

Artwork submitted to the contest will be judged by the following criteria with scoring guidelines detailed in the rubric:

• Relevance to Theme
• Impact
• Creativity
• Design & Craftmanship
• Artist’s Statement (a succinct 100-character summary of the idea that inspired your artwork)

Tips for writing an artist statement:

• Cover the “why,” “what,” and “how” of your art.
• “Longer” does not necessarily mean “better.” Keep your statement as short as possible. To save words, you do not have to start with “I created this piece because it shows….” Instead, begin with what follows that phrase, such as “a helping hand can mean a lot to someone who is having a bad day.”
• Keep your entry anonymous—do not include your name, school, or any identifying information.
• Use active rather than passive voice. Example: “Listening shows you are there for your friend” rather than “listening is a way to show you are there for your friend.”
• Remember your statement is your chance to connect with the judges on a deeper level.

Awards

1. The winners of the contest will be rewarded with cash prizes ranging from $50 to $1,000.
2. The top awards will be based on scores in five categories defined in the contest rubric.
3. Entrants can win only one cash prize per calendar year.
4. All participating schools will have at least one award winner.
5. All accepted artwork that meets all contest criteria for submission will be eligible for use in suicide prevention materials and presentations.

Other Information

• We will begin accepting submissions on October 10, 2025, which is World Mental Health Awareness Day.
• By submitting artwork to this contest, you (and your parent if you are under 18 years of age) are agreeing with the GEM Project Dayton’s Terms & Conditions.
• All artwork submitted to the contest will be used by GEM Project Dayton for marketing, promotional, educational, and display purposes at the discretion of GEM Project Dayton.
• All artists give up the rights of any submissions to the contest to the GEM Project Dayton.
• Deadline for submissions: January 8, 2026.
• Award ceremony will be held on February 22, 2026 at 6:00 PM. Participants must be present to accept awards.