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2025 March Winners
Thank you to everyone for your support and/or participation in this contest. It could not have happened without your support! I look forward to seeing you in the next one :-)
There was a great turnout for the 2025 March Art Contest and I am grateful for every single submission. It was a difficult process to narrow down the winners, but I thoroughly enjoyed everyone's art.
The 2025 March Art Contest's theme was Defiantly Hopeful: Hope is not easy. It is exhausting. It is a fight. In a world burdened by division, uncertainty, and unrest, hope feels fragile—like a college student overburdened by finals. How do we hold onto it? How do we feed hope and starve despair? How do we push forward when the weight of the world threatens to pull us down?
This contest challenges you to explore the defiance of hope—the kind that refuses to be extinguished, even in the darkest times. Whether quiet or loud, personal or collective, let your art show what it means to fight for hope. Show me - show the world what you are defiantly hopeful about today.
The submissions were thought provoking and heart warming. I had fun and hope you did too. I look forward to the next contest and seeing everyone's work. Until then, enjoy our winners and honorary mentions!
Winners
First Place - Kayla
The one who knows what's to come
I feel we constantly throw ourselves at work (whether it’s school, work, living) for an end goal. I find myself full of hope when sleeping, dreaming of my future. And that’s what keeps me going, all this work has to mean something.
PNG @kaylaartbook
Second Place - Odete Coss
Overcoming Challenges
I am often seen as someone who is vibrant and full of life, which is true; however, these are qualities that were not easily attained. I am on a constant journey to build myself up and work on my mental health—a journey that is important but never linear. I deliberately preserve beautiful moments that might otherwise be forgotten on this journey. And no matter how foreign it might sound in the future, my pieces serve as reminders of life's privileges and fleeting beauty, ensuring that even if future nostalgia brings sadness, it will be for having once recognized the wonder of existence rather than having overlooked it entirely.
1080p x 1920p @cuteblkcat
Third Place - Hassan Abu-Judom
Striped, Scorched, and Smiling
Through the eyes of someone who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I can say that I see myself as emotionally unpredictable. The spirit of being defiantly hopeful through a goblin persona who grins boldly despite the mental fire of mania and depression. The black-and-white striped ribbon around their neck signifies the awareness and label of bipolar disorder, yet it does not define them in a negative light. Instead of being burned, I embrace the light that bipolar disorder and its lessons and coping mechanisms have taught me.
9 x 12" @roygbivaart
Honorary Mention - Intullectual
Still at the door.
When you’re still at the door, forcing it open, allowing your light to shine through, hope remains; for them and for you.
1920p x 1200p @Intullectual
Honorary Mention - Jayla Banks
Hope in words
This poetic piece describes the struggle between doubt and hope. I included the concept of positive words that lift people up, and to resonate with it. I made this to express the feeling that even in the darkest times, there is light somewhere. Even if it is just in a simple sentence.
8.5" x 11" @honeyjello9