The city of Santa Clarita, in partnership with the Santa Clarita Sister Cities program, invites local students to submit artwork, poetry, essays/creative writing, photographs, or music for the 2021 Sister Cities International Young Artists and Authors Showcase.

This contest celebrates Sister Cities International’s mission of promoting peace and unity and is a great opportunity to connect youth to global issues.

To address this year’s theme, “United in Hope,” students interested in the contest are asked to reflect and convey, through their entries, their vision of citizen diplomacy and how hope can be a uniting force during this challenging time, when the whole world is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To qualify, students must be between 13 and 18 years old by May 1, 2021. Interested teens may submit one entry per category, along with a completed entry form, at scvipsantaclarita.org. Online submissions are due Thursday, April 15. The virtual award ceremony and exhibit will take place on Monday, April 26.

The top entries from Santa Clarita will be submitted to Sister Cities International in Washington, D.C. to compete with submissions from other Sister Cities organizations across the United States for the grand prize of $1,000 in each category.

Santa Clarita students have been successful nationally in this contest. In 2020, a work of art by Valencia High School student Amber Lee and a poem by Saugus High School student Sydney Hooper were chosen by Sister Cities International as national finalists. Prior to this, two other local students’ essays were selected as national finalists and a Valencia High School student won a $1,000 grand prize in 2013.

Santa Clarita’s program is a local organization whose mission is to foster international partnerships between the City of Santa Clarita and cities abroad to promote mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation through reciprocal youth, cultural, educational, professional, humanitarian and economic programs and exchanges.

Sister Cities International is a non-profit organization created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to foster partnerships among communities around the globe and promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time. The City of Santa Clarita has international Sister Cities in Tena, Ecuador and Sariaya, Philippines.

For more information on the Young Artists and Authors Showcase’s categories and guidelines, and to submit an entry, visit scvipsantaclarita.org.

Contact Tess Simgen at (661) 250-3726 or Elena Galvez at 661-255-4911 or email SisterCities@santa-clarita.com with any questions.