2025 ARTEFFECT Student International Child Art Competition
Competition Overview
The ARTEFFECT annual competition invites submissions from all students in grades 6-12 interested in making a positive impact through their art. Since 2016, thousands of students have participated in ARTEFFECT from around the world. Students creatively interpret the story of an Unsung Hero by creating an original visual artwork, accompanied by a written Impact Statement (500-1,000 words).
Students may interpret the stories of their chosen LMC Unsung Hero in myriad ways including—but not limited to—a narrative sequence or story, portraiture, landscape, conceptual forms, symbols and abstraction. Multiple 2D and 3D mediums are acceptable for submission including painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles, mixed media, digital art, assemblage, and sculpture. There is no size limit. In the Impact Statement, students discuss the Unsung Hero’s unique contribution, their creative process and interpretation, and plans for sharing their artworks with others. There is no entry fee.
Top Awards
The 2025 award categories are:
Grand Prize—$6,000
High School (9-12th grades)
- Best in Show—$3,000
- Second Place—$2,000
Middle School (6-8th grades)
- Best in Show—$2,000
- Second Place—$1,000
Spotlight Prizes
Funded and sponsored by the Lowell Milken Family Foundation, the Spotlight Prize offers $1,000 per winner. The Spotlight Prize – Unsung Hero category encourages students to create projects about Unsung Heroes, selected annually, who have been underrepresented in the competition over the years.
The 2025 Spotlight Prize Unsung Heroes are:
- Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott
- Mary Anning
- Andrew Jackson Higgins
- Horace King
- Andrée de Jongh
- Ralph Lazo
- Clara Luper
The new Spotlight Prize – Media category encourages students who create artworks in selected mediums and formats. The 2025 categories are:
- Sculpture/3D: Three-dimensional artworks including assemblage, ceramics, pottery, glass, metals, and textiles.
- Large Format: Artworks in any medium that measure 24 x 36 inches or larger.
Spotlight Prizes are $1,000 and there may be multiple winners in this category. Spotlight Prize submissions are eligible for all top awards and prizes but can only win one. No submission can win more than one award or prize.
The judging panel may designate additional awards, Certificates of Excellence and Honorable Mentions, at their discretion. The judging panel will give the most consideration to entries that celebrate the Unsung Hero’s story in a high-quality and well-crafted artwork that is visually compelling and original in concept. Competition winners receive cash prizes. Selected artworks will receive consideration for display in ARTEFFECT exhibitions.
Rules & Guidelines
Who is eligible?
The 2025 ARTEFFECT annual competition is open to all U.S. and international students in grades 6-12. Students may develop their projects independently (outside the classroom) with the confirmation of an instructor or parent or legal guardian. Group projects are ineligible.
Submitted projects must be entirely student-produced. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools by students is prohibited at any stage of the creative process for artworks and Impact Statements. Be advised that submitted artworks and Impact Statements will be scanned for AI usage.
Students who have won two top awards in previous ARTEFFECT competitions are no longer eligible. No submissions to the 2025 ARTEFFECT competition can win more than one award or prize.
See our FAQ page for more information about eligibility.
What are the guidelines to participate?
All projects submitted to the competition should have the following components:
Unsung Hero Focus
Student artworks must focus on an Unsung Hero chosen from the pre-approved list of LMC Unsung Heroes. The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes has an expanding list of over 130 individuals spanning time and various disciplines. Students choosing an Unsung Hero not on the pre-approved list must seek approval for their topic from ARTEFFECT prior to submitting their entry.
Visual Artwork
Students must create an original work of art for their entry. The ARTEFFECT competition accepts visual artworks of various mediums including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, collage, mixed media, digital art, installation, and textiles. Students may create artworks using varied media including:
- 2D dry media such as graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, pastels.
- 2D wet media such as acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, ink wash, printmaking.
- 2D digital media. Digital art files should be at least 300 dpi. Multimedia films and photography are not eligible.
- Various mixed media incorporating photography, digital art, textiles, collage, paper, and other materials.
- 3D media such as ceramic, pottery, porcelain, fibers, metals, wood, glass, etc.
There is no size limit. Artwork media and dimensions must be listed on the competition submission form.
Impact Statement
In developing an ARTEFFECT project, the student prepares a written Impact Statement (500-1000 words) to accompany the visual artwork. In this essay, the student should address the following prompts:
- Introduce your Unsung Hero. Explain how and why you chose this individual. What do you find inspirational or most admire about this individual as a role model (e.g., character traits, heroic actions, area of expertise)?
- Discuss your Unsung Hero’s impact. Share about this Unsung Hero’s story. How did your Unsung Hero contribute to a positive change in the course of history or have an impact on the lives of others?
- Describe your artistic vision and process. What is the vision behind your creative interpretation of this story? How does your artwork express your Unsung Hero’s character traits, heroic actions, or impact? Discuss your choices of materials and techniques and any research used to develop your project.
- Share the impact of your artwork. How will your Unsung Hero’s story influence your actions or outlook on life? Discuss any hopes and plans for sharing your artwork with others. List any links that illustrate the extended reach of your project into your community
Download the Impact Statement Outline for reference.
How are projects submitted?
The 2025 ARTEFFECT competition is open for submissions from October 1, 2024 through Sunday, April 27, 2025. Entries to the competition are submitted through the online platform Submittable. There is no entry fee.
An eligible and complete entry must contain:
- A fully completed online form, including student and parent or legal guardian digital signatures.
- High-resolution artwork images (.jpg or .png format, 5 MB limit). At least one image is required for 2D artworks, and three images are required for 3D artworks.
- A written Impact Statement.