Introduction
LYF strives to support the development of our campers’ identities, as Taiwanese American community members and as their own individuals. In order to encourage campers to explore the cultural and artistic sides of themselves, we’re hosting the first LYF Art Contest with a focus on the theme “春生夏長 秋收冬藏”. No matter if art is one of your favorite hobbies or you’ve yet to pick up a brush, we invite all campers (or past campers!) to create something they’re proud of and submit for a chance to win!
Timeline
Contest Details
Campers or former campers aged 10-18 are invited to create an original art piece inspired by this year’s theme. You may submit as many versions of your artwork as you like during the submission period—but only your final submission will be considered for judging. At the end of the contest, two winners and two runner-ups will be selected, and all four will receive prizes. Be sure to read all the submission details below before sending in your entry. Good luck!
Theme (“春生夏長 秋收冬藏 // transience”)
The theme of this year’s contest: “春生夏長 秋收冬藏”, is a Chinese idiom that translates to “sow in spring, develops in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter”. It also has a second meaning “spring births, summer grows, autumn withdraws, winter conceals” representing all life and not just that of agriculture. In Taiwanese culture, it refers to how things are constantly changing but part of cycles of nature and existence. A way of executing this theme might be to make a piece on “transience”. Merriam Webster defines “transient” as something “passing especially quickly into and out of existence”. Think of something which changes with time, such as a sunset or the seasons. Some other words which may come to mind are “ephemeral” or “transitory”. There are many ways to connect your art to the theme, so be creative and think outside the box!
Eligibility Criteria
- You must be attending LYF 2025 camp or having attended at least one LYF summer camp since 2023
- All artwork submitted must be your own original creation. You must be the sole author of the piece, and it cannot include or copy any copyrighted material owned by others. Submissions that infringe on copyright will be disqualified. By entering this competition, you accept full responsibility for ensuring that your work does not violate any copyright laws.
- You must be 18 years of age or under on July 20th, 2025.
- You must have been attending primary or secondary education (K-12) in the academic year 2024-2025.
Submission Specifications
To help our judges, we're only accepting two types of art:
- Visual art (like drawings, paintings, digital art)
- Written work (like poems or short stories)
For written submissions, there's a 1500-character limit. We want to see your creativity—so AI-generated art is not allowed.
All entries must be submitted through the Google Form linked below.
- For visual art, upload a .png file or .jpeg file
- Please name your file in the following format: “2025 LYF Art Contest - Visual - [Name of Submission] - [First Name] [Last Name]"
- Example: 2025 LYF Art Contest - Visual - LonaMisa - Chogan Lu
- For written work, upload a .pdf file
- Please name your file in the following format: “2025 LYF Art Contest - Written - [Name of Submission] - [First Name] [Last Name]"
- Example: 2025 LYF Art Contest - Written - GreenEggs&Ham - Chogan Lu
If for any reason you’re unable to submit in one of the specified formats, please email us at lyf.culture@tacl.org. Please note that the form will also ask for a signature from you and a parent, allowing TACL to share your art in marketing materials, social media, and more. You're allowed to submit the form more than once if needed (for example, if you make a mistake), but only your final submission will be judged.
Submissions are due by 11:59 PM on July 5. Artwork submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Judging Criteria
A panel of volunteer judges from LYF leadership will evaluate all submissions based on three key criteria:
- Creativity and originality
- Technical skill
- Connection to the theme
Once the submission period ends, judging will begin. Entries will be reviewed in two age groups:
- Campers aged 10–14
- Campers aged 15–18
One winner will be selected from each group—so there will be two winners total.
Rewards
Winners will be announced during the LYF Camp Closing Ceremony on July 20.
- Each winner will receive a certificate and a $150 check
- Each runner-up will receive a certificate and a copy of the LYF Cookbook
Winning artwork will be featured on this webpage, in the LYF newsletter, and across LYF’s social media platforms. It will also be displayed at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Milpitas during the closing ceremony. After the contest ends, we’ll celebrate everyone’s creativity by sharing all submissions in a digital gallery right here on this webpage.
Can’t attend the ceremony? No problem! If you're selected as a winner or runner-up and can't be there in person, just email us at lyf.culture@tacl.org—we’ll make arrangements to get your prize to you.