“I WISH YOU KNEW…
what foster care is to me.”
The annual Joy Meadows art contest
is open June - August.
THEME
I Wish You Knew…
At Joy Meadows, we want to learn from the individuals, families and communities affected by foster care, and we want others across the country to learn as well. There are approximately 360,000 children in foster care across the country. There are thousands who have aged out of the system, others reunited with their biological parents, or still others have been adopted. There are biological parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, children in foster care, adoptees, and siblings. Each individual has a story and a perspective. What is a story that needs to be told? Is there a voice that needs a platform? Is there a person that has inspired you? What are some of the impacts of foster care that people might not consider? What voice should be heard?
We want to hear from all perspectives connected to foster care through the Art Contest, “I Wish You Knew…What Foster Care Is To Me.”
Share your perspective and enter one of our 3 categories: art, poetry, or photography.
Art Contest submissions accepted in these mediums:
CATEGORIES
Photography
Poetry
Drawing & Painting
GUIDELINES
Read our full contest rules. Below is a summary.
Your artwork should directly connect to the theme, “I wish you knew…what foster care is to me.”
A contestant may submit artwork for each category (poetry, art, photography), but they may only be selected as the winner for one.
Your artwork must be your own, original work. We are looking for artwork that’s coming directly from YOU and the message you want to share!
The competition is free to enter and is open to all children age 5-19 and under who have been impacted by foster care or adoption in some way, including biological children in the home.
Your artwork must have a title and follow all contest rules.
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At Joy Meadows, we want to learn from you about individuals, families, and communities affected by foster care. What is a story that needs to be told? Who has a voice that needs to be shared? Is there a certain person that has inspired you? What are some of the impacts of foster care that people might not consider?
Using poetry, art, and photography, we would like you to answer the annual theme and make your voice heard.
Entries must draw on the competition question: I wish you knew…what foster care is to me.
Contest Categories
Participants may enter one submission in each category:
Poetry
Art
Photography
Eligibility
The contest is open to children and youth who are school-aged, ages 5-19
There is no entry fee.
Only one entry per category per individual will be accepted.
Participants may enter multiple categories.
An individual may only win one category award.
Submission Guidelines
Entries must reflect the competition question: “I wish you knew…”
All submissions are assigned a unique entry number to ensure anonymous judging.
Please include the title only on the artwork or written submission. Do not include the entrant’s name on the submission itself. All personal information should be included only on the entry form.
Entries must include a description of the submitted piece connected to the theme.
Entries must be submitted prior to the last date of the contest, August 31, 2026.
Judges’ decisions are final.
Entries from participants under the age of 18 must be submitted by an adult (parent, guardian, teacher, case worker, etc.) on the entrant’s behalf. The submitting adult must agree to the Joy Meadows contest rules through the online or printed entry form.
Judging Criteria
Entries will be evaluated based on:
Connection to the theme “I Wish You Knew…”
Creativity and originality
Emotional impact and storytelling
Clarity of message and overall presentation
Copyright and Usage Rights
The copyright of each submitted work remains the property of the creator. By entering the contest, the entrant grants Joy Meadows a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish, display, and/or broadcast the submitted work in connection with the art exhibit, educational materials, promotional materials, and fundraising activities that directly support the mission of Joy Meadows.
Participants may choose whether their name is publicly associated with their work or kept confidential.
Joy Meadows will credit the artist whenever reasonably possible unless the entrant requests to remain anonymous.
The original artwork may be returned to the creator upon request after the awards are announced.
Awards
Results will be posted on or before September 30, 2026.
Each category will be awarded a first place price.
Participants will receive a digital certificate by email. Winners will receive a digital certificate by email and details regarding the monetary prize distribution will be provided.
Artwork will be showcased in the “I Wish You Knew” art exhibition.
Poem
Your Poem should relate to the topic, “I wish you knew”All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length.
Poems should consist of the contestant’s own work and should not infringe any copyright or rights of others or any third parties.
Poems should be typed or legibly handwritten.
Poetry written using AI will not be accepted.
Artwork
Your artwork should address the topic, “I Wish You Knew…”
All artwork must have a title.
Artwork may be in the form of sculptures, paintings, sketches and digital mediums.
Artwork should consist of the contestant’s own work and should not infringe any copyright or rights of others or any third parties.
Artwork may be produced in any medium such as water colors, pastels, charcoals, pencils, acrylic, crayons, paper cuttings, oil paints, photography or digital media.
Artwork using AI will not be accepted.
When submitting your entry, we ask that you share a high quality photograph or scan of your artwork; we may request the original work of art if needed.
Photography
Your photograph should address the topic, “I Wish You Knew…”
All photography must have a title.
Photography should consist of the contestant’s own work and should not infringe any copyright or rights of others or any third parties. Images should be no smaller than 1mb and no larger than 5MB. Images should be JPEG files.
Each entry may be one single photo, or a collection of up to 3 photographs as a single entry.
Photography using AI will not be accepted.
PRIZES
The winning artist will receive a cash prize and his/her artwork will be displayed at Joy Meadows. It will also be used as a part of the digital and print communications of Joy Meadows to create awareness, inspire, and educate the public about the impact of foster care. (*The name of the winning individual may be kept confidential, if requested by the entrant)
