The theme for the 2025-2026 year is I Belong!
Reflections is not “just an art contest.” It helps kids take risks, be inspired, think creatively, and be celebrated for their creativity and work. Studies have shown there is a positive relationship between the arts and well-being. Get more information about the National PTA Reflections program.
Reflections is a National PTA arts contest open to students in grades pre-K through 12th grade. While the primary focus of Reflections is a celebration of creativity through positive recognition, finalists from local PTAs will move on to their council PTA (if applicable), then finalists from councils will move on to the state round. Washington State PTA finalists who receive an “Outstanding Interpretation” award will advance to the National PTA round.
Participate in the PTSA Reflections program by submitting your completed works of art in one or all available art categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts (2D). Students may submit in as many arts categories as they would like, but just one piece per category.
The program has four rounds: Redmond El (Sept-Nov), District/Council (Nov-Jan), State (Jan-Mar) and National (Mar-May).
- Once all Redmond El entries are scored, only the top 10 will advance to LWPTSA Council (district) level. Entries will be submitted to council by the Reflections Chair.
- Entries may not have more than 100 words in the Artist Statement. Having more can disqualify the entry.
- Please ready the rules for your entry's category CAREFULLY. Not following them will lead to your entry being disqualified.
Theme: I Belong!
DUE DATE FOR ONLINE SUBMISSIONS: Friday, October 31, 2025
Digital Submissions: Email project and entry form to reflections@redmondelptsa.org 11:59 PM on October 31, 2025
For all entries:
. 2025-26 Dance Choreography Category Full Guidelines| en Español
— Originally choreographed dance composition presented in a video entry
. 2025-26 Film Production Category Full Guidelines | en Español
— Original works, with or without sound, of animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or multimedia
. 2025-26 Literature Category Full Guidelines | en Español
— Original works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, drama, reflective essay, narrative or short story. Entries must be a single literary work; collections are not accepted.
. 2025-26 Music Composition Category Full Guidelines | en Español
— Original musical composition, with or without words, presented in an audio recording
. 2025-26 Photography Category Full Guidelines| en Español
— Color or black and white. Included techniques: Photogram, panorama, photomontage (one print of multiple original photos), single or multiple exposure, negative sandwich.
. 2025-26 Visual Arts Category Full Guidelines| en Español
— Drawing; painting in tempera, oil, acrylic, watercolor or T-shirt paints; computer-generated art; two-dimensional collage; printmaking; needlework; leather tooling (see link for all accepted visual art forms). NOTE: LWPTSA Council (and so Redmond Elementary) is accepting ONLY 2D visual art. [Sólo aceptamos entradas en 2D.]
Participation is organized by student age and grade levels. Student works are evaluated against others in the same division. This allows recognition and critique of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels. The divisions for Redmond Elementary school are:
Primary: Preschool – Grade 2
Intermediate: Grades 3 – 5
Accessible Art Division: Preschool – Grade 5
Additionally, the Accessible Artists (formerly Special Artist) [División de Arte Accesible] is an option for students with a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Generally, rules and guidelines within the Accessible Arts division are intended to ensure accessibility to the National PTA Reflections program and are modeled after the guidelines outlined in the ADA. Local PTA chairs should verify that artists meet the criteria before judging.
For more information, please check the state and national Reflection page:
Congrats to all the participants and winners!
A warm CONGRATULATIONS to all of our first-place winners
who ADVANCE to the State level of the competition !
| VISUAL ARTS |
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Intermediate Division Grade 3-5 Tanisha Manna (Award of Excellence, WA state level) : Nature:The Imperfect Masterpiece Riyanka Das : Petals of Imperfection, Broken Beautifully Junho Ahn : Beauty From Broken Precious Isra Clark : Space Kitty Alicia Stuart : The South Star at the Beach Primary Division Grades K-2 Rishav Das (Honorable Mention) : My Neurospicy Brain Simone Liu : My Big Emotions |
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PHOTOGRAPHY Intermediate Division Grade 3-5 Tanisha Manna : Reflections of an Imperfect World Primary Division Grades K-2 Rishav Das : Flawed Vegetable |
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MUSIC Primary Division Grades K-2 Vedant Varshney : Incomplete Music |
