Dylan Mead, an eighth grade student at Brown Middle School in Hillsboro, has won the Grand Prize for best poster in the 68th annual OHS Be Kind to Animals Poster and Story Contest. Rachel Clay, a third grader at Chief Joseph Elementary School in Portland, received the Grand Prize in the Story category.
OHS announced the winners at a special awards presentation, the “A’Cat’Emy Awards,” held January 29 at OHS. The ceremony highlighted the creative work of students in grades 1-8 who used art and words to craft positive messages about their love of pets. Mead, a repeat Grand Prize winner in the poster category, illustrated the theme of helping homeless pets, while Clay’s essay focused on how pets are part of the family.
The Grand Prize Runner-Up poster award went to Petra Sorensen, a first grade student at Bridgeport Elementary in Tigard. The Grand Prize Runner-Up in the story contest was Leni Maus, an eighth grade student at Ockley Green Elementary in Portland. See the top posters and read the top stories below.
More than 1,500 entries were received from students at 125 schools in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Students based their entries on different age-appropriate humane themes such as: be kind to animals, pets are family members, pets need care and attention, and choose the right pet for you. The grand prize winners received a laptop computer. Runners-ups and first-place winners received gift cards.
Two students won with both their poster and story entries: Petra Sorensen (first grade) and Leni Maus (eighth grade). Petra won Grand Prize Runner-Up for her poster entry and first place in the First/Second Grade story category. Leni won Grand Prize Runner-Up for her story entry plus second place in the eighth grade poster competition.
View the list of all winners here »
First Place Posters Gallery
First Place Stories and Photos
- First Place, Grades 1-2 – Petra Sorensen »
- Grand Prize Winner and First Place, Grades 3-4 – Rachel Clay »
- First Place, Grades 5-6 – Sadie Bernard »
- Grand Prize Runner-Up and First Place, Grades 7-8 – Leni Maus »