Reflections - Celebrating arts learning in schools
Students are invited to express their artistic talent through the PTA Reflections art contest! This year's theme is "Accepting Imperfection"
Reflections is an established National PTA arts program which has been held in schools across the country for over 50 years. It's an opportunity for students to express themselves through a creative outlet and gain recognition of their talents.
Students in pre-K through 12th grade are invited to create and submit original works of art in the areas of Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Visual Arts. These works of art will be judged locally and may qualify for advancement from school to district/council, state and national levels.
Arts Categories
Works of art that fall under the following categories will be accepted for evaluation and judging. Click the links for detailed instructions on each category:
Dance Choreography
Film Production
Literature
Music Composition
Photography
Visual Arts
Special Artist
How to Participate
Students who want to create and submit a work of art should do the following:
- Read all of the relevant rules and information noted on this page.
- Choose an arts category and create a unique work of art giving consideration to the theme and the judging criteria.
- Complete the Submission Form, not forgetting to include the title and artist statement.
- Package the work of art as requested on the category-specific guidelines (see above links).
- Submit work of art to the McMeans Library no later than November 2nd.
Judging & Selection Criteria
20% of entries in each category will be selected to advance to the next level. During the evaluation process, judges will consider the following criteria:
- Interpretation: How closely the piece relates to the theme, based on the work itself and the artist's written statement.
- Creativity: How creative and original the piece is in its conception of the theme and its presentation.
- Technique: The level of skill demonstrated in the basic principles/techniques of the arts area.
Judges strongly consider the interpretation of the year's Reflections theme during the evaluation process. Students should give their submission a title that stands out and describes how the piece relates to their interpretation of the theme. The following guiding questions can be useful when developing a title and artist statement:
- How does your work relate to the theme?
- What is your personal connection to the theme?
- What did you use to create your work (e.g., supplies, technology, instrumentation, props, etc.)?
- What/who was your inspiration?
Judges at each stage of advancement will have no close affiliation to campus or students.
Deadline & Timeline
MMJH submission deadline: November 1st, 2024
- MMJH advancing submissions will be sent to Katy Council by November 15th.
- Katy Council judging will take place in December. Submissions selected for advancement to state level will be sent to Texas PTA by January 15th.
- Texas PTA will advance selected entries to national level by March 1st.
Awards & Recognitions
Each level of Reflections judging will determine how and when participating students are celebrated. Here is an outline of the awards and recognition received if the entry advances to Texas PTA and National PTA.
State awards are announced on March 15 at www.txpta.org/reflections-results. State award recipients are notified via letter by Texas PTA including an invitation to attend an award ceremony in Austin in May. Awards not picked-up at the ceremony will be mailed directly to the student.
National PTA celebrates the national Reflections winners and their artwork starting May 1 through the following calendar year. Outstanding Interpretation winners will be featured during National PTA’s Convention in June and select featured artists at the Reflections Student Arts Showcase in January.
School and Katy Council celebration and recognition dates to be confirmed.
Things to Consider on your Submission
- To participate in this program, you must be a PTA member (parent or student). If you are not a member: Purchase membership here >
- Is the student entry form completely filled out, legible, and in a sheet protector?
- Is the art submitted into the correct category?
- Does it include a title and artist statement of 10-100 words?
- Does the artwork contain any copyrighted materials? (exception for recorded background music in dance choreography and film production - must cite)
- Is the artwork an original creation of one student only?
- Is the matting on applicable artwork no more than 24x30 inches?
- Are all loose paper entries contained in a manila envelope?
- Ensure all artwork is NOT laminated or covered in plastic wrap
Resources
2023 Reflections Gallery
For inspiration and a fuller understanding of the types of work that can be submitted, view last year's gallery: 2023 Entries
Any questions?
Please contact Kristin Cavazos, MMJH PTA Reflections Coordinator:
kecavazos@att.net
