Create, Connect, Care Challenge

What if your creativity were able to make a global impact on how people perceive the topic of mental health and win you up to $500? 

The #CreateConnectCare Challenge is an international art contest open to students aged 11-18 that encourages young artists to express themselves creatively in order to build connection, and care within the greater community. Participating in this challenge is your chance to make the impact you wish to make in society when it comes to dealing with the stigma that surrounds the topic of Mental Health, so all ages can treat it with the care it deserves with the added benefit of being able to win up to $500 in the process!

You can submit any form of art that you wish: painting, drawing, photography, music, film, poetry, writing, digital art, or mixed media. 

There’s no single “right” way to participate. Your artwork simply needs to reflect mental health, emotional well-being, or self-care in a way that feels authentic to you.

But why participate? 

As a student in CSArts, I know the pressure we all have when it comes to  balancing the CSArts lifestyle, SAT prepping, clubs and (as a senior)  dealing with filling out college applications, so I made it my goal to avoid burning out with all of my responsibilities And even now, looking back on my first semester I can’t figure out how exactly I was able to handle so many responsibilities at once. However,  I sadly wasn’t able to accomplish my goal of not burning out . I would have those “crash-out” moments multiple times in a week and a bad sleep quality because I was comparing myself to others and felt that a 24-hour day was never enough. I was consumed by exhaustion and worry and although I wanted to participate in more activities, I was too drained to do so. But in my quest to repair the drain that the first semester inflicted, I found this challenge and it has been a lovely reminder to be kinder to myself and find joy in small, simple moments of life while connecting with the things that I loved doing. I want to share that same feeling of relief to my community in CSArts, which is why I am encouraging the people in this community to participate in the challenge. It will be a great reminder to take a step back every once in a while and to be kinder to ourselves.