VIBHA-CHICAGO HOSTS A SUCCESSFUL CREATIVE ONLINE CONTEST
By Srishti Upasana Sahu
Vibha- Chicago Action Center recently held an ‘Art of Giving’ Facebook Contest to promote the team’s activities and spread awareness about Vibha in the local and global community. The event was held through Facebook for the month of March and interested participants could submit an entry in the form of a painting, poster, photo, poem, story, or a short video. There were two themes to choose from- ‘Cherish the Moments’ or ‘Education for Empowerment’. The entries were sorted under two age categories (Under 13 and 13 and above).
The online contest saw several entries ranging widely in age group and location. We had participants not just from the Chicago land but also from other parts of USA and even India. The winner of the contest in the 13 and above category was Neeraja Reddy, who participated in Vibha Chicago’s contest all the way from Pennsylvania. A Bharatnatyam dancer, her charcoal sketch was based on the theme, “Cherish the Moments”. She described the emotions behind her art, “I started learning dance at a very young age. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood were classes and performances. It taught me endurance, patience, grace, perfection but most importantly, to smile!”
The winner in the under 13 category was a painting made by 7-year-old Mukil Dharanidharan. Mukil’s painting perfectly represents the role of education in empowering, nurturing and promoting growth of an individual. Mukil decided to donate his prize money back to Vibha. The Vibha Chicago team would like to extend a special thanks to Mukil and his parents for ‘giving back’ in the true sense. Vibha Chicago also gave out an additional prize for the ‘most liked’ entry based on the overwhelming likes and comments that 14-year-old Pranav Regunath’s painting received.
Heartiest congratulations to all winners and a big thank you from the Vibha Chicago team to all participants and well-wishers for supporting this noble cause!!
Some other beautiful entries from the contest:
