The contest runs every summer from May 1 to July 31. Only one entry per student. Eligible students must be 9th-12th grade students for the current academic year, but graduating seniors may also participate. Eligible students must currently live in Texas.
Summer 2026 Theme: 2026 marks the Council’s 75th Anniversary AND the world descending on DFW with the FIFA World Cup! Showcase how the world has come to DFW currently and throughout the years with the GYL Summer Art Contest 2026. Bring your art supplies to the table and create a piece – whether it’s photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, or mixed media.
Prizes: 1st place: $150; 2nd Place: $100; 3rd Place: $50
2025 Winners
Break Through
1st Place
Title: Break Through
Artist: Hanah Park (Imagine International Academy of North Texas)
The man in the painting represents our current generation. He has managed to tear through the evils of Earth and see a more hopeful future. Yet, he looks on as peace – represented by a dove – and global unity – as seen by the ribbon with various flags – flies farther away from him into the light, which represents world peace. This person is at a bit of a crossroads: will he be able to attain peace or will he look on as it flies away? More importantly, will we simply watch peace fades or will we break through and grab hold?
The connection between man and nature
2nd Place
Title: The connection between man and nature
Artist: Suhas Nandyalam (New Tech High @ Coppell)
The image of a sketched hand reaching out to a glass bird represents the global issue of the loss of biodiversity in the world because it highlights the delicate balance between human impact and the effects of nature. This is important to me because the actions in our life today, have a profound impact on the world as a whole and future generations to come. I want to see change regarding this issue by encouraging the widespread use of sustainable development and practices and encouraging global efforts to protect the environment for future generations to come. Society has seemingly forgotten to protect the species in our planet for further generations and it’s our job as the rising generation to protect them and keep the planet alive for future generations to come.
Peace Amongst Pieces
3rd Place
Title: Peace Amongst Pieces
Artist: Mokshita Saishri Velpuri (Rouse High School)
My art piece embodies the theme of “World Peace” by demonstrating how unity and cooperation creates peace amidst crisis. People around the world don’t always get along for multiple reasons from cultural differences to language barriers. In times of conflict these obstacles make it even more difficult to push through. However, in an event of a crisis, individuals could stand together and promote unanimity. My artwork highlights how ethnic groups from around the globe are able to put their differences aside to work together in the consequence of a calamity. The dove emerging from the fractured Earth symbolizes peace beginning to exist through their collective cooperation. You might also observe the growth of faint vines and flowers between the cracks representing the development of harmony in the efforts of bringing the Earth back to its original state. Ultimately, what I am trying to convey through my artwork is that synergy and wholeness nurtures a sense of compassion. As long as people have the willingness to work together, it will surely bring us one step closer to world peace.
Escape
Honorable Mention
Title: Escape
Artist: Pranavi Pushpala (Justin Wakeland High School)
“Escape” embodies global world issues by illustrating free speech and creative freedom. The colorless, menacing eyes and hands throughout the painting represent judgement and fear some individuals face trying to make their voice heard. However, the picture depicts the individual escaping the chains of their fear and restraint, reaching towards the pencil in hopes of sharing their voice and making the world a better place. Unfortunately, many people around the world struggle with the issue of freedom of speech. However, “Escape” demonstrates the will of people to make their voice heard despite their fears.
In their hands
Honorable Mention
Title: In their hands
Artist: Anonymous
My piece, In their hands, embodies the theme “World Peace” by showing how true peace is passed through future generations. The child holding the globe is the most important part of this piece. The child is offering a globe, which symbolizes him offering peace to others, because children must learn compassion, unity, and empathy, so that they can share it with others. The halo glowing around him symbolizes how brightly we can shine when we choose peace. The background shows people of different cultures coming together and the flags show that peace has to be a global thing. The mixed media illustrates that peace comes with different things coming together, to make something beautiful.
2024 Winners
Class of ####
1st Place
Title: Class of ####
Artist: Kaitlin Fishman (New Tech High @ Coppell)
My art piece encompasses the global issue of gun violence, specifically school shootings. School shootings are a vial act, bringing terror and dread as they negatively touch countless lives, even taking some down with them. This piece conveys themes of gun violence through components such as the gun wounds and through the golden string which symbolizes those killed by gun violence, with its golden hue representing ammunition, as the only people left uncovered by the string are the people brightly colored and symbolized as alive. Furthermore, you may notice components such as the coloring of people representing them as living, while the people in grayscale are represented as the ones left victim to death by gun violence, with grays being used to represent the loss of brightness and light as the fire of their lives is burnt out and transformed to the dull and dark hue of smoke and ash. This artwork prominently focuses on the wrongful deaths of children with the blood splatters and wounds shown throughout further proving this point. Shootings are a weighted issue which require further addressing with genuine action as gun violence has begun to take place more often, as people grow accustomed in view of the fact that these events have grown to be more recurrent. Where I live, monthly drills of locking ourselves in the classroom and clumping together to shelter against the wall were a usual occurrence during my elementary and middle school years. Shootings have become such a common event that practicing what to do in the events of one is habit, it is simply customary teaching young children where to hide from guns and then going back into a lesson about multiplication. Change is able to easily be made for this issue by restricting access to guns. In America, it can be just as easy for an adult to get access to their own gun as an adolescent to get a lollipop from a doctor’s office, and even easier for anyone to locate a gun owned by an acquaintance or family member which is left unattended or unguarded. Access to firearms, if better regulated with proper policies set in place, could save hundreds of lives and allow innocent adolescents more time to live the life they deserve.
Dual Realities
2nd Place
Title: Dual Realities
Artist: Anika Gunaselan (New Tech High @ Coppell)
In my latest artwork (acrylic painting), Dual Realities, I explore the global issue of the loss of indigenous traditions and culture. The disappearance of indigenous cultures and languages isn’t a problem that we usually think about on the top of our head, but it is an issue that is widely spread and needs to be addressed. Preserving indigenous cultures and traditions is vital for the conservation of biodiversity as indigenous people serve as experts of vast natural landscapes and hold valuable cultural ecological knowledge. Upholding indigenous traditions is not only a matter of cultural preservation but also a fundamental human rights issue, ensuring the representation and self-determination of indigenous communities worldwide. My artwork reflects this global issue by showing the multifaceted existence of indigenous peoples, juxtaposing the darkness of oppression with the vibrant resilience of their culture and traditions. The right side of the canvas represents the shadows of colonialism, showing the struggles and injustices faced by indigenous communities throughout history. The darkness serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges that the indigenous people face. On the other hand, the left side of the painting illustrates the rich indigenous culture and heritage. Here, vibrant colors, clothes, nature, and intricate details celebrate the resilience, wisdom, and beauty of these indigenous traditions. This side of the canvas immerses viewers into the rawness of indigenous knowledge and spirituality. I want to see change regarding this issue by encouraging others to support the preservation of indigenous cultures and traditions while also giving support to indigenous communities who have gone through the loss of their cultural identities. Through “Dual Realities” I aimed to foster a deeper understanding of the indigenous communities, highlighting both the adversities they have faced and the strength they contribute to make sure that their culture is not lost. It is a tribute to their enduring spirit and a way for them to remember that they are not alone in their journey to recover their cultural traditions.
Tomorrow's Mountains
3rd Place
Title: Tomorrow’s Mountains
Artist: Emma Pancikova (Imagine International Academy of North Texas)
My piece embodies the theme “Global Issues” by depicting how excessive consumerism, fast fashion and a lack of result in detrimental changes to environments that had been largely the same for centuries before – destroying ecosystems and the natural beauty of the Earth. The encroaching smoke in a once-blue sky represents not only the very real smoke that clogs up the skies around factories and gets into the airways of anyone living near, but also the way the “darkness” of killing the Earth has crept up on us due to a lack of prevention and many not knowing about it until it became a large problem. The way the piles of trash resemble the mountains they are next to represents how our careless consumerism continues to pile up – in the U.S. alone, seven states are expected to run out of landfill space in the next five years, with the entire country projected to have no space left in about 6 decades according to Environment America. My piece aims to draw attention to our mistakes and provide a reminder of what could happen – within even our lifetime – if we don’t work to fix them.
Picture Perfect
Runner Up
Title: Picture Perfect
Artist: Anonymous
My art piece “Picture Perfect” represents the global issue of how social media affects beauty standards. On social media platforms, images of “effortlessly perfect” people are shown with seemingly “perfect” bodies and faces that might cause many viewers (particularly younger people/teenagers) to grow insecure about their own body. In reality, majority of these photos have been heavily edited or enhanced – through filters and editing software in order to achieve society’s image of perfection. Many people who see these photos on social media don’t realize that they’re edited, which leads to our society’s unrealistic beauty standards, causing many to have body image issues, low self esteem, etc. Reducing the effects of unattainable traits shown online on people’s perceptions of their own bodies and faces could be through cutting down the amount of time spent on social media, scrolling through hundred of edited pictures. This is an important topic to me because I feel that it is very relevant and relatable to people around my age, along with the fact that, in my opinion, it isn’t spoken on as much as it should be.
2023 Winners
Please Stop
1st Place
Title: Please Stop
Artist: Anonymous
My art piece embodies the theme of “Global Issues” by illustrating gun violence. Gun violence threatens our most fundamental human right, the right to life. Millions worldwide are wounded, killed, or upended by the disruption of people with guns. In my painting, there are hands from Heaven that are reaching out and protecting the human from the fired bullet. Additionally, there are transparent hands, which represent the hands of past victims of gun violence, who are trying to save the child from facing the same ending as them. This shows how gun violence can take the lives of many and that no one should ever experience it, hence the help from Heaven.
The Age of Hyper-surveillance
2nd Place
Title: The Age of Hyper-surveillance
Artist: Kush Kaur, Liberty High School, Class of 2025
“The Age of Hyper-surveillance” is a piece of artwork that delves into the perils of hyper-surveillance in fascist and communist countries that usually goes unnoticed by citizens in free countries. This piece conveys the perils of this dilemma using vivid imagery such as dead branches tainted with bright red blood and symbolic elements including a bleeding eye featuring the hammer and the sickle in the pupil. This piece serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of unchecked surveillance on individual freedoms and human rights. By embodying the theme of “global issues,” the artwork prompts viewers to reflect on the universal implications of surveillance systems that can infringe upon privacy and personal liberties in fascist governments and its stealthy spread worldwide.
The Devastation of Destitution
3rd Place
Title: The Devastation of Destitution
Artist: Amy Campos, Billy Ryan High School, Class of 2026
My art piece embodies the theme “Global Issues” in the form of poverty. I hear about poor people living in Africa struggling to support their family. However, just out in the streets, I see homeless people begging for money. Poverty is one of the biggest global issues the world faces everywhere, and people are undernourished, have poor health, and have less or no education. My oil pastel are piece has an American child and and African child due to the fact that poverty is everywhere which really spoke to me because I would like to help in some way or another.
2022 Winners
Reflections on the Past
1st Place
Title: Reflections on the Past
Artist: Zahra Khatri, Jasper High School
Pollution has devastated marine habitats for creatures great and small. There’s an island of trash known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is now twice the size of Texas, and it’s still expanding. Sea creatures must navigate filthy waters filled with plastic and ghost nets. I wonder how whales, being extremely intelligent creatures, feel about this. My art piece is trying to imagine how a whale might reach for the memory of a lost past of boundless clean water.
The Uyghur Plea
2nd Place
Title: The Uyghur Plea
Artist: Sufiya Khatri, Plano Senior High School
This artwork depicts the calamity the Uyghur Muslims of China are facing at this very moment. One of the major global issues we have been facing for the past centuries has been genocide or ethnic cleansing. China has been committing this heinous crime against the Uyghur community in their country similar to the way Germany committed genocide against their Jewish community during the Holocaust. Uyghur women and men are being sent to concentration camps and facing organ harvesting for simply following a religion. Unfortunately, there is so little coverage over this issue and many people don’t even know about this problem, but I hope this artwork and others to follow can bring light to this tragedy.
100,000,000
3rd Place
Title: 100,000,000
Artist: Carmel Canete
The issue of refugees is something we look at and often ignore. According to the UNHCR, 100 million people were displaced or forced to flee their homes in 2022 alone. I wanted my piece to show how often we walk past refugees, asylum seekers, etc. because we believe it is not our problem. We ignore them. They could be standing in the middle of the street, and we would stroll past all 100,000,000 of them.
2021 Winners
Water for Life
1st Place
Title: Water for Life
Artist: Amaris Shi
I found myself drawn to this idea when I thought about the people in this world, nearby and faraway. Each individual has a unique story and unique circumstances. I drew inspiration from tales of people in different walks of life and different ages, including myself. Through my work, the viewer can experience the emotions of each individual, as if being transported to their world for a moment in time.
Since the beginning, water has been intricately tied to us. Beyond our daily basic needs, water has defined our history and is an important symbol in many cultures. For example, farming, the institution that has allowed us to settle down and build the cities we have today, was heavily dependent on the presence of water. However, today many areas of the world are lacking this vital resource. Billions live without access to safe water or sanitation, and even so, some have to travel on foot for hours to provide a mere day’s water supply to their families. This is even more dangerous during this global pandemic, when these people have to struggle to simply wash their hands. By spreading awareness using my artwork, we can not only lessen the effects of the water crisis and fight poverty, but provide a means to keep clean and fight the spread of COVID-19.
Puppets of Men
2nd Place
Title: Puppets of Men
Artist: Anonymous
To portray the issue of capitalism in our society, I created a puppeteer to represent the dominance of the wealth have over the working class. Using compositional hierarchy, I purposefully drew the capitalist leader above and larger than the workers/puppets to show control and power. I chose to make the business owner a puppeteer because they are the ones who have significant influence in our society and economy. The working class is portrayed as puppets because they are only used as tools to please business owners in their endeavors of attaining wealth.
The Factory
3rd Place
Title: The Factory
Artist: Jenna Garcia, Lovejoy High School
This piece embodies the theme “global issues” be representing the issues of climate change and carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The painting depicts a factory covered by a white cloud of emissions that then flow into the surrounding environment, suggesting catastrophic environmental damage. The piece also depicts a skyline of red and yellow hues suggesting the rising global temperatures that result from these types of activities.