MIDDLE SCHOOL ART AND WRITING CONTEST
2025 WINNERS
First Place
Biblical Angel by Isaac Anderson
Resilience's Dark Embrace
by Annie Lin
I cried out loud to the soundless void,
Yet no one heard my trembling plight.
Alone I wait, in inevitable despair
In the chill of solitude, she cherished my soul.
Through life's obscured passages, whispers of dream linger,
Where resilience hides occult, a quiet force—
Hand in hand with sorrow, yet unseen,
An esoteric support in daily exertion, its course
She comforted me; I searched blindly for her.
Blindly—
Blindly—
Blindy, taking my step to my cessation.
In the heart's hidden depths adumbrate,
Each hardship enriches intricacy, crafting beauty,
Serene harmony within life's chaos unfurls,
The grand fresco of life, sculpted by resilience's inner essence
The world spins on, unheeding my tears,
A heart aching with unspoken fears.
I seek the light, the one she provides.
Now, I watch the fading of my dreams
Harmony of life’s chaos, struggle and endurance,
Silent guardian, shielding the heart's resilience,
Dual nature, the ability to empower while exhausting the spirit,
A story of survival and pain, a burden to the weary soul
She left me; I wanted to die.
Die—
Die—
Die, lifeless in this perishable land.
A hidden strength, a quiet force in the night,
Hurt the heart, darken the soul's light,
No light left in the eye, where shadow dawdles,
Only darkness, forever, amidst life's tumultuous storm.
Alone, I feel so hysterical
I feel so delusional,
I always thought I was insusceptible to the world
But she is trying to annihilate me, so damn slowly
She does not sincerely love me,
All upright lies, my eternal craving.
About the Writer...
Annie Lin is a 7th grader at Julia Landon College Preparatory and Leadership Development School. They enjoy every moment that involves music, from concerts to bus rides. They love dramatic performance and expressing their ideal aspects in each act. They mix different forms of art into poems, adding a personal touch into each piece of art, poetry or just a simple doodle.
About the Artist...
Isaac Anderson is a 6th grade scholar at Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School, who became interested in art at nine years old when he received his first sketchbook. From there, his talent sharpened and his interest in art increased.
Second Place
Yearning by Alana Rihaly
Yesterday I Could Fly
by Coleson Roth
High in the sweet savory clouds
The birds at my batting wings
Soaring through the silver sky
Yesterday I could fly
The rumbling of the salty ocean
So far beneath my claws
The breeze, blowing me dry
Yesterday I could fly
My roar like lightning command
Sending ripples through the air
Seagulls rattle in fear of my mighty eye
Yesterday I could fly
About the Writer...
Coleson Roth is a Creative Writing major at LaVilla School of the Arts, currently making his way through seventh grade. Coleson focuses mostly on poetry and sometimes fiction works. Although Coleson does not like to write fiction as much as poetry, the opposite is the truth for reading, he loves reading fiction books that capture his mind so much he cannot pull away.
About the Artist
Alana Rihaly is a talented mixed-media artist. She's created original pieces since she was seven years old with the unconditional love and support of her mother and aunt. Art has often been a vehicle of her emotional expression.
Third Place
Hope to Making it Far 1 by Lashunda Patterson
Poppies
by Heidi Le
Kindergarten. Practically a warzone, except the only thing we were fighting over was who got what colored carpet square. Every day was as monotonous as a broken record and filled with grubby little fingers taking all of my sparkly crayons. I desperately wanted something new and fun to happen, and, as a kindergartener, I just wanted to be taken to a magical world where I could do nothing and not have to learn math. Unfortunately, the daydreams never came true, until one day, something sparked.
In the playground. In the big, old, mystical, magical-looking oak tree, a door suddenly appeared. It was dark brown, almost to the point of blending into the tree, a wooden door that you could only fit in if you crawled. It was a portal to another realm that only my brain could have conjured. I opened the door and was met with wet grass and a tunnel composed of broken, gnarled branches. They cut my legs as I crawled deeper and deeper into the seemingly never-ending tunnel. At last, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, a beacon of hope that beckoned me closer and closer. I touched the tingly light and immediately fell. I fell for what felt like ages, and I spiraled down and down as tiny voices whispered in my ears all the things I wished someone would tell me. I fell until the light started to fade and was replaced with bright blue skies.
Underneath me was a carpet of bright red poppies as far as I could see, and in the near distance, a brook. I walked over to it and leaned my head over the sparkling water. I looked at my reflection, but instead of just me, I saw one more face staring back. She looked like me. A stronger, older, prettier version of me, and she smiled. It was a soft smile. Not the kind someone uses to comfort you, but the kind like they understand you.
She smiled again and spoke this time. “Not yet. There’s still more time.” The reflection started to fade, and I desperately tried to save it.
“When will I be able to come back?” I whispered to the water and was met with nothing. I stood, gathered myself, and turned.
“Adira? Are you okay?” Someone called out.
I sat up and blinked rapidly at the faces above me. “What?”
“You tripped.” Someone said, but I wasn’t listening to them anymore.
I was looking at the tree. Where the magical door once sat, there was just rough bark in place. I looked down at the sandy dirt and saw something sparkling. Buried in the sand, I picked it up, dusted it off and saw bright red, the same shade as the poppies: a bright red, sparkly crayon.
Hope to Making it Far 2 by Lashunda Patterson
About the Writer...
Heidi Le is an 8th grade student at James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory. She loves to write stories and poetry. She can usually be found reading or writing notes for a book. In her free time, she enjoys archery and playing guitar, as well as dreaming.
About the Artist...
Lashunda Patterson is a 7th grade student at Matthew Gilbert Middle School. She creates cartoon characters with the hopes of bringing joy and inspiration to others.