The deadline to participate in the 2019 PTA Reflections Art Contest approaches following a first-place performance at the state level by a Carlmont student last year.

Submissions are due by Nov. 8 for the nation-wide contest, which covers a variety of artistic topics. In May of 2019, Cindy Chen, a Carlmont senior, won first place for literature at the state level with her poetry.

“I’d love to see more students participate,” said Mandy Gibbs, Carlmont’s Reflections Art Contest committee chair. “I think it’s an untapped market for us to show off the talent that’s at Carlmont.”

The contest has six categories: dance, literature, photography, film production, music production, and visual arts. Successful participants work their way up through the school, council, district, and state levels, all the way to a national competition. Several categories determine the rating, one of which is adherence to the yearly theme. This year’s theme is “Look Within.”

While some see the contest as a good opportunity for kids with artistic interests to express themselves, others see it as a competitive platform.

“I think it would be fun to see art students compete with other schools,” said Antonio Kazarian, a sophomore.

But others view it as a medium for young artists to be acknowledged.

“[There are many] activities for kids to be recognized in athletics or academics, but there are not as many opportunities for kids with artistic interest to be recognized,” Gibbs said.

Cindy Chen has progressed further in the competition than any other Carlmont student in the past, and Gibbs hopes that the 2019-2020 school year will bring out more participants and winners from Carlmont.

Gibbs said, “I think Cindy Chen is a great indicator of how much talent is actually at Carlmont. If more students entered, we might find we have lots of Carlmont students that end up going to the state level or even the national level.”