By Marisa Dawson, Courtesy Photos

Students at Bennington Public Schools put their creativity and artistic talents on display this fall, offering their interpretations of peace through the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest.

This year’s competition, centered on the theme “Harmony in Humanity,” brought a record number of submissions to the Bennington Lions Club, with approximately 230 posters submitted, the most the club has ever received for the contest.

Three students were selected for top honors:

• First place: Charlotte
• Second place: Nora
• Third place: Jada

The selection process began with approximately 230 student submissions, which were narrowed to 30 entries before undergoing additional rounds of review. Sixth-grade social studies teachers, the art teacher and the school principal helped narrow the field to approximately 10 finalists, with Nic Chesnut of the Bennington Lions Club also reviewing the selections.

Chesnut and a teacher then selected the three top posters.

When asked what stood out to judges among this year’s entries, Chesnut pointed to the students’ attention to detail, use of color and the time they devoted to their artwork.

“The details and color, the time they spent,” he said.

“They all are great!” Chesnut added of the entries.

The local competition is part of a much larger effort through Lions Clubs International, which has sponsored the Peace Poster Contest for nearly four decades. The annual contest gives students ages 11 to 13 an opportunity to express their understanding of peace and share their perspectives with others through art.

This year’s theme, “Harmony in Humanity,” encourages young artists to imagine a world where people from different cultures and backgrounds live peacefully together, celebrating their differences, finding common ground and treating one another with respect and kindness.

According to Lions Clubs International, the contest progresses through several levels of judging, beginning with local Lions clubs before advancing to district, multiple district and international competition. The first-place Bennington entry will represent the local club as it moves forward in the process.

At the international level, judges select one grand prize winner, who receives $5,000, along with 23 merit award winners who each receive $500.

The contest evaluates artwork based on its originality, artistic merit and expression of the annual peace theme.

For the Bennington Lions Club, the competition also provides an opportunity to recognize the creativity and perspectives of local students while encouraging young people to think about the importance of peace in their communities and around the world.

Chesnut said Bennington students have come close to earning top recognition at the state level in previous years, something he remains proud of.

“Yes, they almost won state, and I’m proud of them every year. The teachers do a great job,” he said.

With another record year of participation and three students earning local recognition, the Bennington Lions Club has plenty of reason to celebrate. The club will now look ahead to the next round of judging and see how far this year’s winning poster can travel.