2025 Youth Art Contest Winners
In Thankful Recognition
Thank you to all who entered the 2025 Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention. Your heartfelt ideas and creative expression on how to improve youth mental health are so meaningful and valuable. In this the debut year of the contest, there were 20 submissions from across Oregon from youth ages 13 years old to 20 years old.
We wish to thank the Oregon Council for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for their providing grant funding to make the contest a reality. Thank you Blick Art Materials for generously donating four $25 gift certificates. Many thanks to everyone (concerned individuals and organizations) who helped raise awareness about the contest.
Contest awards were: 1st Prize $350, 2nd Prize $300, 3rd Prize $250, Honorable Mention $50, Special Recognition $25 Blick Art Material Gift Certificates, Special Acknowledgement $20, and Thank You for Your Participation $15. To learn more about the contest please click here.
Meet The Judges
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Dr. Diane Kaufman, a retired child psychiatrist, is a poet, artist, internationally award-winning lyricist, humanism-in-medicine awardee, and the founder/director of the Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention. Diane is a suicide attempt and loss survivor with Bipolar II Disorder. The Hold On Campaign uses the power of art to educate, connect, express, and heal. “Don’t Give Up” and “Holding The Heart When It Breaks” are just two of the many songs she has co-created on behalf of suicide prevention. Diane received the Downstate Medical Center Alumni Association’s 2019 Dr. Frank L. Babbott Award for her distinguished service to both the medical profession and the general community. In April 2025 she received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Association for Poetry Therapy. Diane’s unabated passion and dedication is transforming trauma and despair into life affirming creativity. To learn more, please visit: www.holdoncampaign.org
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Starlit Swan is a writer at heart and creates wondrous worlds to escape the pain from the rare illness, Causalgia, which is one of the illnesses nicknamed “Suicide Disease” because the pain can drive a person to suicide. Her poem, The Marble Block, has been made into the internationally award-winning animation “Marble Me Free.” Starlit has published three poetry books: The Marble Block & the Poems It Inspired, the Christmas illustrated book How Reindeer Learn How to Fly, and the illustrated poem Anything Is Possible (also available as a journal and coloring book). She is writing her first novel with input from her vocal cats. To learn more about Starlit please visit www.starlitswan.com & www.marblemefree.com.
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Lucia Martínez Rojas is a media design artist proudly born in Colombia, South America. She holds a Masters Degree in Media Art and Design from the Bauhaus University of Weimar in Germany. Dedicating her time and talents to creating projects that have deep purpose, she is in pursuit of becoming a prolific videographer, illustrator, designer, and human being. Lucia has experienced suicidality related to having Bipolar II Disorder. She is an active collaborator with the Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention. Her creative works have garnered international acclaim.
Learn more at: luciamartinezrojas.my.canva.site
First Prize
“Look Both Ways” by Sydney Chen (16 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Throughout my experience as a lead volunteer for Oregon's peer crisis line, YouthLine, a vast majority of our contacts have consistently expressed feelings of isolation, feeling invalidated, unseen, or unheard, and simply needing a space to share their thoughts without judgment. We are taught from the early days of our training to ask about social supports for the contact in the process of supporting them. The answer I've seen most often from the youth we work with goes something along the lines of, "Well, I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this, which is why I reached out to you guys." These experiences have made it resoundingly clear how one non-judgmental person can have an invaluable impact on the day, or even the lives of the youth who reach out to YouthLine when they feel like they're able to reach someone else who can simply listen and try to understand them in ways the adults and peers in their lives often don't. "Look Both Ways" expresses an urgency felt by my seventh-grade self to be able to reach someone outside of her small, rural community who would at least try to have the capacity to understand and empathize with the depression that arose from a lack of understanding and acceptance of her Chinese heritage and cultural identity. This story is an homage to my middle-school self and a collection of the things I wish someone had told me when I needed that human connection and support the most. I am vastly different from her, yet I still carry parts of her with me. "Look Both Ways" showcases the evolution in my understanding, perspective, and hope in terms of improving my own mental health and is written with an urgency to express what has increasingly become the sad reality of teens to urge a shifted focus in our communities to prioritize creating resources through unity, empathy, and raw compassion instead of fueling persistent hatred.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
The "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest" is a platform for me to amplify my voice in a deeply personal way to resonate with BIPOC youth across Oregon, but especially in smaller, more conservative rural areas, who may've often felt unseen, overlooked, and marginalized by those around them who never tried to see them as a human first, but instead, saw an overgeneralized, underspoken figure that conformed to their narrow expectations of what someone 'different' should or would be like. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens in Oregon, and while rates have declined for white youth within the past decade, they have remained unchanged or have increased for youth of color, according to a 2022 report published by the Oregon Health Authority. These disparities are a result of both systemic and systematic racism within institutions, providers, and especially within particular communities that aren't equipped with the proper understanding, resources, or platforms to address these disparities. It is utterly devastating that race is a determining factor in whether someone has adequate and affordable access to mental health resources, but we can make a tangible change in addressing these disparities for EVERYONE if we put more of our resources toward crisis lines like YouthLine, where passionate individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences can offer support for these individuals who come from spaces where they may be unable to receive support otherwise. Mental health affects everyone, and sometimes what seems to be the 'easiest' is readily overlooked: genuine compassion.
Second Prize
“Signal Lost, Signal Found”
by Mahika Bhan (18 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?:
Youth suicide often stems from feeling unseen, unheard, and overwhelmed. Many young people experience emotional “static”: anxiety, depression, identity confusion, academic pressure, isolation, and more. These struggles are silenced by stigma, leaving individuals afraid to ask for help out of fear of judgment or rejection. To support youth with suicidal ideations, we must listen, empathize, and create spaces where they are safe and valued.
My poem, “Signal Lost, Signal Found” uses the metaphor of a radio to express what it feels like to live with mental health challenges: absorbing too much noise, feeling out of tune with the world, and falling into silence when it becomes too hard to speak. But it also offers hope. Just like a radio can be tuned, modulated, and recalibrated, I want young people to know that they too can find clarity again—and that suicide is not the only option. The final stanzas shift toward empathy and advocacy, reminding readers that their “song” isn’t over, and that someone out there is always listening. This poem speaks to two audiences: those who are struggling, and those who can create the safe spaces that help others feel heard. The world still needs their tune.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?:
The Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention is important to me because it gives young people a way to turn pain into purpose. As someone who has seen friends and classmates silently struggle with anxiety, pressure, and identity, I’ve realized how easy it is to feel like you’re the only one hurting. Statistically, with suicide being the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 in Oregon, it’s clear that this pain is far more common than we often acknowledge.
While in a perfect world, mental health challenges wouldn’t be a shared experience, there’s power in numbers and knowing we’re not alone – and in choosing to speak up. I’m entering this competition because I believe it’s our collective responsibility to foster honest and meaningful communication regarding suicide and mental health. This contest creates space for youth voices to express themselves without shame and use creativity as a tool to inspire connection, healing, and hope. By participating, I’m not only expressing my own experiences, but also reaching out to those who might feel invisible, to remind them that they matter, and that they’re never truly alone.
“Re: Hang In There!”
by Finley Waltz (15 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Suicide prevention is often focused on identifying signs of active suicidal ideation, and providing help in the face of a crisis. While, of course, we need to be educated on identification and have crisis services available, there are other methods which can help prevent suicide further in the future, sometimes before a person even becomes suicidal.
This method is simple; community.
America is an incredibly individualist society, so as citizens of this country, we tend to forget the true benefits of having a full, lively support system around us. My piece highlights how having a complete support system in life, even before you are suicidal, will allow people to care about you well enough to not let you hurt yourself; they will be too intertwined into your own life for you to pull away from them.
Suicidal or not, having others care about you will help you in more ways than you know. I cannot count the amount of times my friends have saved my life without them even knowing it. You might be able to hang from a ledge with only one support, but it’s not very often that only one person can pull you up and back onto the ground. The responsibility of a life should not be on one person’s shoulders. We are all each other’s responsibility, and if we all care for someone before they are in crisis, we can all be the hands that pull them up before they fall.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you:
I've been suicidal for over five years now. Most of my friends are suicidal. We have all nearly lost ourselves to suicide at least once, and I am no exception. I know so many people who have lost loved ones to suicide. While my own will to live is a thing which fluctuates, I tend to find myself thinking back to one poem by Tumblr user duckbunny, which I'll paraphrase to this:
"one day you think: I want to die./and then you think, actually, I want a cleaner kitchen./I want a better job./I want to live somewhere else./I want to live."
There are so many issues that plague this world, and God knows life can seem hopeless. But, I've had to teach myself, hating your life doesn't mean you hate being alive. It means something - maybe a lot of somethings - need to change. I've been holding onto that sentiment, that hope, since I tried to kill myself in January. I will continue to hold onto hope until I can confidently say that I am content with the life I have.
Third Prize
“Comic Strip” by Lizzeth Martinez (20 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Being different from other people can feel isolating. It can lead into developing anxiety, depression, and can ultimately lead to thoughts of suicide. Feeling like you're completely alone is very overlooked as one of the root causes for depression, especially in young people. I've personally dealt with a lot of these hardships, but Superheroes were always a way for me to visualize 'being different'. Their superpowers, or uniqueness, is what made them 'super'. But it always came with downsides, a secret identity made them lonely. A lot of them were afraid that the things that made them different would hurt people close to them. I wanted to portray that in my comic. A superhero fighting his own feelings of loneliness. He tries to fight the darkness that he feels alone, only when he gets support from the people that care about him does he overcome his foe. He realizes that he's loved, and that he can't do everything alone, he accepts it. Which is why I call him Valiant. I think more portrayals like this in media like comics, cartoons, books, and movies can help a lot of young people realize that they can't fight a battle against depression and thoughts of suicide alone, and that it takes a lot of bravery to ask for help when you need it.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
I see a lot of media about awareness for depression. It's great that people are becoming more aware of how big an issue it is, but I don't see a lot for suicide prevention specifically. It's such a tricky topic to talk about, and a lot more taboo than mental health as a whole, even if it affects a lot of youth. There's many different ways that art can resonate with people, and it's such a helpful outlet for expressing emotions. With so many people that enjoy art out there, I think they will all find a piece that they can connect to their own personal experiences. I think it's really great to see a program that encourages a lot of young people to express their own thoughts and feelings on something that affects so many of us.
Honorable Mention
“Storm Calm” by Arden Sv-gvs Upton (14 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
I think lots of things can lead to suicide but mostly friends, family, school, and your overall environment and mental perspective. I think we can Improve mental health by having easier resources to reach. My essay expressed this idea by talking about how helpful my school's graduation mentor was.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you? It is very important to me because I think teens need to know that they aren't alone and that they have resources that they can use to help themselves.
Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Hi, my name is Arden, and I'm 14. I took this photo after riding my dirt bike up to a high ridge just before sunset. I call it "Storm Calm." That’s how it feels sometimes in my head—like there’s a storm going on, but up here, it’s quiet and peaceful.
A lot of people my age feel pressure—like we always have to be perfect, or we’re scared of being judged, or we feel like we don’t belong. That can make someone feel really alone, and I think feeling alone too long is one thing that can lead to suicide.
For me, riding is how I cope. It’s the one thing that clears my mind. When I'm out in nature with my bike, I feel free. That’s why I took this picture. The mountains, the sky, the open space—it's like nature listens without saying anything back. That helps.
To help youth mental health, I think we need more spaces where kids feel like they belong. That could be sports, clubs, hobbies, or just somewhere they can be themselves without being judged. And we need to talk more—without making it weird. Like just checking in on each other.
This photo shows how I connect to nature and calm my mind. I hope when others see it, they remember to breathe and find their own way to feel free.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
It's important to me because a lot of kids are struggling, especially with wildfires trauma, but we don’t always know how to talk about it. Sometimes, it’s easier to show how we feel through art, photos, music, or riding. This contest gives us a chance to express what’s going on inside and be heard in a different way. Thank you for having this contest.
“My Story” by Ellie B. (15 yo)
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Special Recognition
Painting by Ariana Payan Nunez(13 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
I hope my art can show people about the people that care about them and are able to get them the help they need and deserve to help them get through their problems.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
I’ve had to deal with some cases of friends trying to end it all and I’ve had to talk them out of it so when I saw this opportunity to express myself and to show people that even though tough times things will and can get better! So that’s why I created this piece and I’m happy to show it and inspire that people aren’t always alone.
Painting by Karen R. (15 yo)
Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Many things can lead to suicide, such as bullying, feeling out of place, and not knowing how to calm yourself. A way to improve youth mental health is by showing them different things that they can do to calm themselves. My painting shows different things someone can do to relax.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
The "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" is important to me because, I believe no child should ever feel that the only way to get rid of their pain, or whatever else it may be, is to commit suicide.
“Silence Hurts More Than Words”
by Kyli Cejas (16 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Many factors can lead to suicide, but the biggest problem of all is silence. When youth are not taught how to identify, understand, or express their feelings, it becomes incredibly difficult for them to reach out for help. If we can stop hiding the truth from the youth, I believe it could deeply improve youth mental health. My creative work expresses those ideas by diving into my personal experience of how suicide was taught in my school. Ignoring mental health in early years can send a harmful message that it doesn’t matter, or that it’s something to be ashamed of.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
The “Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention” is deeply important to me. Bringing awareness to mental health is something I'm extremely passionate about. My goal by entering this contest is to share the message that you aren't alone. Not everyone has a strong support group, and if taking a step to raise awareness for suicide prevention could make a change, that's exactly what I want to do. I hope my work can reach as many people as possible, and I'm eager that it can make a significant change not only in the school systems but in the entire world.
Painting by Luca R. (18 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Some of the biggest things that i have seen that lead to people being suicidal is low self esteem, being neglected or neglecting their own needs, or as i show in my the piece i submitted, a feeling of hopelessness. I think one one of the best things that can be done to help is finding a way to make these people understand that they wont know if they regret it until it may be too late. Why i express in this piece is that there is, in fact, a light at the end of the tunnel; even if it is blocked out by all these negative thoughts, bad ideas, fears, and mental health issues.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
This contest is important to me because i have struggled with my own mental health a lot during the past few years and almost didn't make it; i don't think anyone should have to go through that and anything i can do to help people with these issues will be important to me!
Special Acknowledgement
“Little Bit More”
by Max H (19 yo)
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
I think it is pointless to kill yourself, because in life you can do greater things. And that I think it is a pointless act to kill yourself in general. You know that your future is ahead of you, and you can do great things. There is no need to kill yourself, because you can change your future. One thing that really makes this topic of suicide important to me is that my dad ended up killing himself when I was 11 months old.
Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
I believe ignorance/neglect can lead to suicide and that youth mental health can be improved by teachers and other school staff. My work shows my past experiences where adults that I should've been able to trust have ignored my cries for help. I feel that school staff should do more to support their students than just tell them to stop crying and go to class because they're "missing important material."
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
This is important to me because I've always used art as a way to turn my ugly experiences into something meaningful. I hope that my work helps people realize they aren't alone in dealing with mental illness.
“We Could All Do Great Things In Life”
by Jordan J. (15 yo)
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Thank You For Your Participation
“Reach Out – Your Story Matters”
by Estela Dominguez-Calderon (18 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Many experiences may lead to suicide, among those experiences are the frequent feeling of being lonely/isolated, not socializing and spending quality time with loved ones, and having no one to trust. We as a society can improve youth mental health by spreading awareness to symptoms of negative thoughts, creating a club where youth share experiences and create artwork to express themselves and boost brain chemistry. My creative art piece expresses a brain icon hugging itself as a symbol to take care of ones' mental health. The tagline/slogan "Reach Out - Your Story Matters" refers to youth speaking out, a sign of bravery and unity. My artwork is simplistic yet displays symbolism that sparks awareness for suicide prevention advocacy.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
The "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" is significant to me as I have battled with my mental health and negative thoughts a few years back. I went into a bad stage of depression, but because of seeing mental health awareness videos on social media such as TikTok and Instagram, hearing others experiences and perspectives motivated me to imply into my life the methods that have helped them overcome their struggles. Just like others bravery to come out and share their story, I too can express myself through what has helped me overcome my struggles in hopes to inspire others who are suffering in silence and do not know how to approach their situations.
“To Keep Pushing”
by Stormie H. (13 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas? Suicidal thoughts and suicide can be present in anyone and it can be really hard to get out of that sometimes people need help from themselves to push through or others to give them a light to shine and help them. My poem shows this by telling whispers of pain and struggle within a person but they carry their light within themselves to stop hiding from their pain.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
It is important to me because it could help people understand that they aren’t alone as well as being able to help others see that it’s okay to not be okay but you shouldn’t give up and to keep pushing even if it is hard for them. It helps people understand suicidal thoughts and suicide and why it might happen it creates a world full of awareness and it can help others in difficult situations.
Artwork
by Natalie Avalos (16 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
I believe one of the main causes of youth suicide is the feeling of isolation from their peers. By establishing more accessible events for young people, we can help create a stronger sense of community and give them a reason to "Hold On". My artwork depicts a boy in a dark moment of his life, with the only light coming from bubbles that represent memories of events he's attended. It shows the hope that community even in just a day can create for a person.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
This contest is important to me because I’ve had many people in my life who struggle with mental health. My only wish was for them to understand that I was there for them. Sometimes, talking wasn’t enough; the only thing that could give them the reassurance they needed was a trip or event that helped them escape their thoughts and see the people around them.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many opportunities like that for low income youth to experience without the stress of spending money. I hope my art tells the importance of creating free public events and the powerful impact they can have.
“Suicide Prevention Poem”
by Perezia Foli (13 yo)
Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
What leads to suicide most of the time is the feeling of hopelessness and the sense of not belonging . A way to improve youth suicide prevention Is by letting the youth know you are there for them; and when they tell you their problems or struggles, even if it is small, not writing them off as too sensitive or not tough enough. My creative work conveys this message by speaking about struggles and letting them know that they are not alone in their struggles. It is meant to aid them in changing their perspective on life and that what they are experiencing currently is a bump in the road for them and that there are people in their corners even if they do not see it at the moment.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
Although I do not have personal experience with suicide I know it is a struggle and a rising issue in our youth in this day and age and I wanna do anything in my power to help prevent suicide. I want to save a life and make an impact with my poem because my voice is powerful and I intend to use it for the greater good.
Artwork by Idaly Bazoria Castillo (15 yo)
Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
Home life and social life can definitely affect the mental health of someone. An example can be some sort of trauma that can constantly affect a person and they wish to not feel that pain anymore. We are all strong in our own ways but at the same we can be weak and only believe in the bad rather then the good. The dove is a representation of life and death and its wing is broken, the dove is weak because it cannot fly completely well but it still tries. The blue ribbon represents suicide and how it can come in its many forms in which why I tied it on the neck. I tried my best to make the dove look like it wants to take off and fly and move forward, like how someone who has suicidal ideation can still believe they can move forward. We can all still fly.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
This contest is important to me because I know of people who have attempted and I have felt hopeless at some points but I was always told to never give up and if my art and the art of others can help someone believe they can hold on then it really does feel worth it. Art is a powerful tool for us as people and human beings, no matter the language, ethnicity, or religion we can all connect and share the common communication that is art.
Painting by Yuri Schuff (13 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
People often tell me I'm OK even though I feel I am not. I think what leads to it is not noticing it. Most times people don't notice those around them having these grotesque feelings no one should have yet everyone has. I think my art expresses the feelings. How they are portrayed in my life.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you?
Because a family member and I have survived a suicide attempt and have found healthy ways to cope with how we feel. I want others to know how I feel so that they know I was at my worst and now how I am at my best.
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“Sign of Struggle”
by Alex Montz (20 yo)
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Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas?
I think togetherness and community are two factors that can help improve youth mental health. It is so important to know that you are not the only person that is struggling. I wrote this poem for a poetry class after having a panic attack. It was a helpful way for me to release the emotions I was feeling in the moment, but I never thought I would share it with anyone. I ended up letting some of my peers read it as well as my therapist. Everyone was very supportive of me, and this poem led to many great conversations and made me feel closer to all of those people. My therapist was the one that told me about this contest, and encouraged me to enter this poem.
“Suicide Prevention” by Ayantu Kayo (14 yo)
Please share your ideas on what can lead to suicide and how we can improve youth mental health. How does your creative work express those ideas? Things that can lead to suicide are things like mental health challenges, past traumas, family problems, social media, bullying, abuse, etc. I express those ideas by making them feel like this is a safe place for them.
Why is the "Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention" important to you? Because it gives people like me and others who might be struggling quietly—a way to be seen. Sometimes it’s hard to say what you're going through out loud, but art gives you another voice. A safe voice.