Jaylen Dang, an 8th grade student at Aptos Junior High, has taken the first step to becoming an internationally recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the Cabrillo Host Lions Club.
Dang’s poster was among more than 600,000 entries submitted worldwide in the 30th annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the contest to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.
“A World without Peace has no future,” the 13-year-old from Aptos said. The poster was selected for its originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, “The Future of Peace.” The judging was held on November 9, 2017 at Aptos Clubhouse.
Cabrillo Host Lions Club President, Dan Neilson, said he was impressed by the expression and creativity of all the students who participated – Aptos Junior High, Valencia Elementary, Mar Vista Elementary, Art Supplies, Ink and The Art Factory. “It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them. I’m so proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions. Dang’s poster will advance to face stiff competition through the district, multiple district and international rounds of competition if she is to be declared the international grand prize winner,” Nielson said.
One grand prizewinner and 23 merit award winners will be selected. The grand prize includes a cash award of US$5,000, plus a trip for the winner and two-family members to an award ceremony. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award of US $500.
“Our club is cheering for Jaylen as her poster advances in the competition, and we hope that her vision will ultimately be shared with others around the world,” Neilson said.
Locally, the Cabrillo Host Lions Club honored Dang for her participation on December 2, 2017 at the Aptos Clubhouse.
View international grand prize and merit award winners at www.lionsclubs.org
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographic areas. The organization has made a strong commitment to community service and helping youth throughout the world.