Madison City PTA
Reflections Art Contest
Call for Entries (1 min)
Explore the Arts and Express Yourself with PTA Reflections
Open to all students in Madison City (Alabama) School District.
Entries are due by October 20, 2023.
Each year, over 300,000 students nationwide in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. Winners at the district level move on to the Alabama and then National contests and may win college scholarships.
This year's theme was submitted by Alice Meko of Hampton Cove Elementary School. With six different categories there is something for everyone. We look forward to your interpretation of I am Hopeful Because…
Reflections Introduction (2 min)
Reflections History (6 min)
ENTRIES ARE CLOSED
Thank you for participating in Reflections! Entries are closed for this year.
You can still submit a theme suggestion until the end of October: 2025-26 Theme Search
How to enter
Read the rules (PDF) carefully to be sure your planned work meets the requirements.
Create an original work and prepare your entry.
Dance choreography must be an MP4 or AVI file under 1,000 MB.
Film production must be an MP4 or AVI file under 1,000 MB.
Literature must be a PDF file.
Music composition must be an MP3 or WAV file under 1,000 MB. Middle and high school students must also submit a score, tabulature, or technical explanation on how the music was written as a PDF file.
Photography must be a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file at least 640x960 pixels at 300 dpi.
Visual arts must be submitted as digital photos of the work as a JPEG, JPG, or PNG file.
Complete an entry form (PDF) or formulário de entradade (PDF)
Do not write in the top "to be completed by PTA section".
Scan or take a photo with your cell phone camera.
Save as a PDF or image and submit in the next step.
Click the appropriate link below to upload your work and entry form. A Google account is required, which can be a parent or student account.
Dance choreography
Film production
Literature
Music composition
Photography
Visual arts
Your work will be judged by experts in the field. Winners will be notified by email in December.
Additional Information
Special Artist
Students who identify as having a disability and may receive services under IDEA or ADA: Section 504 may enter in the Special Artist Division or in the grade division most closely aligned to their functional abilities.
Copyright Policy
All works must be original and may not incorporate copyrighted material. Exceptions are dance choreography and film production where copyrighted music may be used and must be cited in the entry form. Additionally, software and AI tools may not provide the primary design of an entry and may only be used to enhance and/or present the work.
Judging
All entries will be judged by experts in the category. Works are judged on three criteria: interpretation of theme, creativity and technique. Interpretation is important, use your artist statement to describe how your work reflects the theme, "I am Hopeful Because…"
Recognition
Each school PTA will recognize the top entries from their school for each category and level.
The top entries for each category and level from all Madison City schools will be recognized at a ceremony held by the Madison City Council of PTAs. Winners will be notified by email in December with the event planned for January.
Winning entries at the Madison City level will advance to the State level. Winning entries at the State level will advance to the National level. The Alabama PTA and National PTA will notify winners by email along with any recognition events planned.
Previous Winners
You can see last year's National winners (including Alice Grieve from our own Mill Creek Elementary School) at https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections/awards
Forms
Other Resources
You can also find more information on the Alabama PTA Reflections website and the National PTA Reflections website. Please contact us with questions at chair@mcsarts.site or mcsptarelections@gmail.com.
Upload Entries
Click the appropriate link below to upload your work and entry form. Please fill out both the Google Form (required for local judging) and upload the official signed Reflections entry form (required to advance to state and national).
A Google account is required, which can be a parent/guardian or student account. You can enter a preferred contact email address which is used if we have any questions and also to invite winners to our recognition event. We recommend you use a parent/guardian email address.
Dance choreography
Film production
Literature
Music composition
Photography
Visual arts
If you have any issues uploading, contact chair@mcsarts.site and we will help or make arrangements for an alternative method of submission.
Submit the Next Theme
Click below to enter the 2025-26 Theme Search. Entries are due by November 1st.