15th Annual Art & Essay Contest Winners Announced!

🎉 Celebrating Creativity and Talent: 15th Annual Art & Essay Contest Winners Announced! 🎨✍️

Peace Islands Institute is delighted to announce the winners and honorable mentions of the 15th Annual Art & Essay Contest. This year’s contest saw a remarkable display of creativity, talent, and dedication from students across New Jersey. Congratulations to all participants for their hard work and inspiring contributions!

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Middle School Essay Winners

🥇 Griffin Brandes – Memorial Middle School (8th Grade)

🥈 Anya Bhavanasi – Warren Middle School (8th Grade)

🥉 Justin Kim – Lewis F. Cole Middle School (6th Grade)

Honorable Mentions:

• Zoey Levinson – Monroe Township Middle School (7th Grade)

• Jimin Kwon – Charles Dewolf Middle School (7th Grade)

• Ella Krayl – Memorial Middle School (8th Grade)

• Zeynep Ozgun – EDEP Academy (8th Grade)

• Esmeralda Savinon – Paterson Public School #16 (8th Grade)

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High School Essay Winners

🥇 Kayla Park – Leonia High School (10th Grade)

🥈 Vanshika Auwk – Robbinsville High School (9th Grade)

🥉 Arrianna Hylton – Passaic County Technical Institute STEM Academy (12th Grade)

Honorable Mentions:

• Ansh Chaudhuri – Watchung Hills Regional HS (9th Grade)

• Joseph Cerami – Watchung Hills Regional HS (9th Grade)

• Jehee Nam – Tenafly High School (10th Grade)

• Meral San – Glen Rock High School (12th Grade)

• Angie Yang – Bridgewater-Raritan HS (9th Grade)

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Middle School Art Winners

🥇 Serena Jung – River Dell Middle School (8th Grade)

🥈 Evelyn Bober – Memorial Middle School (8th Grade)

🥉 Aaron Baik – Christ the Teacher School (8th Grade)

Honorable Mentions:

• Janice Kye – Notre Dame Academy (6th Grade)

• Elina Yoon – Elisabeth Morrow School (6th Grade)

• Soohyun Hwang – Bergen Art Studio (8th Grade)

• Maria Bazelak – Clearview Regional MS (7th Grade)

• Sewon Lee – Lewis F. Cole Middle School (8th Grade)

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High School Art Winners

🥇 Chloe Kim – Bergen County Academies (11th Grade)

🥈 Joshua Ha – Leonia High School (10th Grade)

🥉 Emma Nelson – Morris County School of Technology (10th Grade)

Honorable Mentions:

• Gamin Kim – Bergen County Academies (9th Grade)

• Juni Park – Grace Art Studio (10th Grade)

• Jayla Mozo Rojas – Asbury Park High School (9th Grade)

• Audrey Cho – Academy of the Holy Angels (10th Grade)

• Nuri On – Bergen County Technical HS (9th Grade)

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Join Us at the Award Ceremony!

We invite all participants, their families, teachers, and community members to join us for a celebration of student achievement at the Award Ceremony:

📅 Date: Thursday, June 19th, 2025

📍 Location: Drew University, Madison, NJ

🕔 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Come and support these amazing young artists and writers as we celebrate their hard work and creativity!

For any questions or additional details, please contact us at infoNJ@peaceislands.org.

Thank you for being part of this year’s celebration of creativity and talent. We look forward to seeing you at the Award Ceremony!