Peace, in the hand of a young artist

Peace is one of Rotary International’s seven Areas of Focus — and one of the hardest ideas to teach. The District 5300 Art for Peace contest invites young artists across parts of Southern CA and Southern NV to do what artists have always done: make the invisible visible.

Each year, students submit original visual artwork — painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, graphic design — that responds to a peace-themed prompt selected by the Peace Conference committee. This year’s theme is “Peace Begins With Me.” All entries must incorporate a Rotary International or Rotary Interact logo clearly within the artwork. Submissions are judged by a panel of artists and Rotarians at both the club level and district level contests. Winning entries at the district level contest are displayed at the Peace Conference and at the Rotary Youth Showcase Event.

Artists compete with peers in their own age group, across four divisions. 

Submission Guidelines

Get sponsored by a local Rotary club. Every entry must be sponsored by a District 5300 Rotary club. Don’t know one near you? Find a club

Artwork Rules: Your art must be no larger than 11” × 14” and include the Rotary International or Rotary Interact logo as a meaningful part of your artwork. Don’t put your name on the front!

Art Styles: Choose from painting, drawing, photography, graphic design, mixed media, and more. You may submit one entry per art style.

Winners & Awards: Winning artwork will be displayed at the Rotary Peace Conference on March 6, 2027, at Cal Poly Pomona, and may appear on Rotary websites and social media. Awards will be presented at the conference.  

Key Dates

• Now thru December 9, 2026 - Club-Level contests
• Friday, December 11, 2026 @3:00pm - Deadline to submit the top 3 entries from each age group to the District.
• Friday, January 15, 2027 - Winners will be announced
• March 6, 2027 - Winning art work will be displayed during the 37th Annual Peace Conference

District Submission Address

All submissions should be mailed or dropped off at:

David Alfaro DDS Inc.
126 S. Glendora Ave., Suite 104, West Covina, CA 91790

Judging criteria

Entries are judged by a panel of artists, art educators, and Rotarians against the district judging rubric, scored out of 40 points:

• Interpretation (20 points) — how closely the piece relates to the theme.
• Creativity (10 points) — how creative and original the piece is in its conception of the theme and its presentation.
• Technique (10 points) — the level of skill demonstrated in the basic principles and techniques of the arts area.

Each criterion is scored across five levels — Beginning, Developing, Proficient, Accomplished and Advanced. Clubs are encouraged to use the same rubric for their club-level contest: download the judging rubric.