Since 1988 the Tompkins County Office of Human Rights’ Annual Arts Competition has engaged K-12 students in classrooms across the County. In advance of International Human Rights Day in December, students learn about the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948 by the UN General Assembly. The UDHR is comprised of 30 articles.
Students entering the contest can express themselves with visual art, poetry, short film or recorded performance (dance or spoken word) addressing one or more articles of the Declaration. Students—428 in all—submitted entries to this year’s Competition from three districts and seven schools, guided by 21 teachers. The winners will be recognized at an Awards Ceremony on Saturday, January 25th at 11:00 AM at the Tompkins County Public Library’s Avenue of Friends. Artwork and poetry will be on display. The Dorothy Cotton Poetry Prize winners will also be announced. The event is free and open to the public.
Here are the winners of this year’s Competition:
Visual Art
Grades K-2
1st Place: Sarah Al Luhaibi, Belle Sherman: Everyone Has the Right to Play
2nd Place: Spencer Wilson, Belle Sherman: Everyone Has the Right to be a Member of a Country
3rd Place: Beatriz Godden, Belle Sherman: Everyone Has the Right to Free Expression
Honorable Mention: Cheyn Pedro, Belle Sherman: Everyone Has the Right to be Healthy
Grades 3-5
1st Place: Saia Mizrahi, South Hill: Everyone Should Have Rights
2nd Place: Bella Eckenrode, Beverly J. Martin: Break Through Chains
3rd Place: Ella Giese, Cayuga Heights: We All Have to Take Responsibility
Honorable Mention: Sanaa Benton, Beverly J. Martin: Everyone is Born Free
Grades 6-8
1st Place: Ethan Williams, Boynton: Article #4 (Freedom from Slavery)
2nd Place: Sadie Vanderven, Boynton: Born with Equal Rights
3rd Place: Lila Holmes, Boynton: Holding Equality
Honorable Mention: Christian Mende, Boynton: Think What You Want
Poetry
Grades 3-5
1st Place: Zoey Feller, Buckley/Lansing: Freedom of Thought
2nd Place: Oscar Law, Buckley: Right to Education
3rd Place: Melody Steinberg, Buckley: We Are All Born Free and Equal
Honorable Mention: Rachel Hopkins, Buckley: The Right to Education
Grades 6-8
1st Place: Denae Lawhorn, Boynton: Think About Others
2nd Place: Leo Holloway, Boynton: Education
3rd Place: Dylan Mohler, Boynton: Bullying
Dorothy Cotton Poetry Prize
Grades 3-5
Ethan Joseph Levy, Buckley: Equal Rights
Grades 6-8
Joseph Levine, Boynton: UDHR Article 2