05/19/2026
Did you miss this email from Optimist International --
Announcing the 2026 Visual Arts Contest Winners!
We are thrilled to announce the winning entries of the 2026 Optimist International Visual Arts Contest! We received so many creative and beautiful works of art from so many talented young artists, and we were truly blown away by the remarkable skill and imagination on display.
This year’s winners are:
Ages 7 and Under
• Lainie Booth, age 6, Fenwick Island, Delaware
• Hadley Chandler, age 7, Canton, Georgia, Cover Winner!
• Josie Hickman, age 7, Douglassville, Pennsylvania
• Liera Park, age 4, Douglassville, Pennsylvania
Ages 8 to 11
• Amanda Birova, age 10, Nakotne, Jelgava Municipality, Latvia
• Elizabeth Crump, age 10, Poland, Maine
• Luize Anna Graumane, age 10, Nakotne, Latvia
• Farhan Hanshi, age 11, St. Cloud, Minnesota
• Kristiāna Enija Kučiere, age 11, Nakotne, Latvia
• Rosalie Mariano, age 10, Morgantown, PA
• Kari Nessler, age 11, New Ulm, Minnesota
• Anya Sazonova, age 10, Winnipeg, Canada
As in previous years, every winner will receive a monetary prize, and their artwork will be featured on a special set of notecards. If your child won, please keep an eye on your email for information about your checks! We hope to have them in the mail within a couple weeks.
We aim to have the notecards ready for purchase just in time for the International Convention this June. Please keep an eye out for another newsletter with more purchasing details soon!
For those who didn't take home a prize this time, please don't be discouraged — we highly encourage you to submit your masterpieces again next year. Every single one of you did an absolutely fantastic job, and we deeply appreciate your passion and enthusiasm for the arts!
