PTA Reflections

For over 50 years, the National PTA Reflections contest has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence, and find a love for learning. The Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts, which boosts student confidence and success in the arts and in life. Each year, hundreds of thousands of students in pre-K through grade 12 participate by creating and submitting original works of art.

This year's theme is "I Belong!”

Students submit their completed works of art in one or any of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts.

Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade: Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Special Artist (all grades welcome). Students who identify as having a disability and receive services under IDEA or ADA: Section 504 may enter the Special Artist Division or grade division most closely aligned to their functional abilities.

Please contact reflections@gfespta.com with any questions or for more information.

ARTWORK CATEGORIES AND GUIDELINES

For inspiration and full submission guidelines, check out THIS PAGE.
Students may submit works of art in any of the following categories, in the file format stated below.

Dance Choreography: Solo and ensemble works of all dance styles are accepted. Entrant must be the choreographer and may also be the performer or one of the performers. If background music is used, cite the title and artist on the entry form. Video file must not exceed 5 minutes in length and 1 GB in size. Acceptable formats: AVI, FLV, WMV, MOV, and MP4.

Film Production: Accepted short film styles include: Animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or media presentation. Use of PowerPoint is prohibited. Entrant must be screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and producer. If background music is used, cite it on the entry form. Video file must not exceed 5 minutes in length and 1 GB in size. Acceptable formats: AVI, FLV, WMV, MOV, and MP4.

Literature: Accepted forms of fiction and non-fiction include: Prose, poetry, reflective essay, screenplay and play script, narrative and short story. Entrant may write in their primary language as long as an interpretative English translation is also attached. Use of copyrighted material is prohibited. Writing must not exceed 2,000 words and may be handwritten or typed. Acceptable formats: Single-sided print on 8 1/2"x11" paper or PDF.

Music Composition: All music styles and combination of instrumentation are accepted. Entrant must be the composer and may also be the performer or one of the performers. Use of copyrighted material is prohibited. Audio file must not exceed 5 minutes in length and 1 GB in size. Acceptable formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, ACC, FLAC. Notation (score/tablature) in PDF format is only required for middle and high school divisions.

Photography: Photo must be a single print or digital image. Collages and collections of photos are not accepted. Entrant must be the photographer and may use a variety of digital editing techniques including, but not limited to, multiple exposure, negative sandwich, and photogram. Use of copyrighted material is prohibited. Print image dimensions must be no smaller than 3"x5" and no larger than 8"x10". Acceptable print formats: Mounted on mat or poster board no larger than 11"x14".

Visual Arts: Works of both fine and design arts are accepted, including, but not limited to: architectural drawing and models, ceramics, collage, computer generated images and graphics, crafts, drawing, fashion clothes and jewelry, fiber work, mixed media, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Use of copyrighted materials is prohibited. 2D artworks must be mounted on sturdy material and no larger than 24"x30" with matting. Framed entries are not accepted. Include one digital image of artwork with your submission. 3D artwork submissions must contain 3 digital images of artwork at different angles. Image(s) are used for artwork identification, judging and exhibition purposes.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES:

Download the entry form HERE!

To submit your child's work, you must first fill out the contest entry form. The artist statement should be written by your child, but parents/guardians may type it for them. Please save and name the file using the following format:
student last name.first name.school.category.age division."entryform"
So, for example, if Jane Smith were submitting a musical composition entry in the intermediate division, the form would be:
smith.jane.greatfalls.muscialcomposition.intermediate."entryform"

To submit each piece of artwork digitally, please either take a photo of it or otherwise submit it electronically in a file name in the following format:
student last name.first name.school.category.age division."artwork"

So, for example, if John Smith were submitting a photograph entry in the primary division, the digital photo should be named:
smith.john.greatfalls.photography.primary."artwork"

Once you have your child's entry form and digital artwork entry complete, please upload both to the Google Form at THIS LINK.

Please be sure to complete a separate form for each category your child wishes to enter. Incomplete submissions and submissions not following the stated guidelines cannot be considered.

2024-2025 REFLECTIONS RECOGNITION

CONGRATULATIONS!

We would like to recognize the following Great Falls Elementary School students who participated in the 2024-2025 National PTA Reflections Art Contest. Last year’s theme was “Accepting Imperfection.”

Congratulations to the following GFES students whose Reflections entries earned Outstanding Interpretation Award, Award of Excellence and Award of Merit at the Fairfax County Council level. Outstanding Interpretation Award entries at the FCCPTA level were advanced to the Virginia PTA level.

Outstanding Interpretation: Middle School Photography: Dominic Choi*

Award of Excellence: Intermediate Photography: Mario Roser Castro

Award of Merit: Dance - Nishka Arya

*Dominic Choi’s photography entry received the “Award of Merit” (3rd place) at the Virginia PTA level. Prior to state advancement, Dominick was awarded “Outstanding Interpretation” (first place) at the Fairfax County PTA level.

Click HERE to view Dominic’s entry, along with the virtual gallery of all the GFES Reflections program submissions.

We are SO proud of our Roadrunners!!