Reflections

Each year, National PTA seeks a theme for the Reflections program year to be held two years from now.  The student submitting the winning entry receives $100 and their theme is presented at the annual National PTA Convention.  Click here for a list of past themes. Only students that attend a school with an active PTA/PTSA may participate in the theme search contest.

WSPTA holds an annual contest to determine Washington’s entries to the national theme search. The due date for this year’s Reflections Theme Search contest will be November 3, 2025. The  top 5 submissions from Washington will be sent to National PTA as part of the contest to pick the 2027-2028 Reflections theme.

Click here to go to the Reflections Theme Search online entry form.

Click here to watch a 5-minute video walking through the entry form.

Young artists get involved through their local PTA or PTSA. A student may submit an entry in any of six arts areas. Only original works of art are accepted. The six art areas are:

• Literature – works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, drama, short stories and lyrics.
• Music Composition – original musical composition, with or without words.
• Photography: color or black and white, included techniques: photogram, negative sandwich, and multiple exposure.
• Visual Arts: drawing, painting in tempera, oil, acrylic, watercolor & t-shirt paints, computer generated art, two-dimensional collage, printmaking, needlework & leather tooling.
• Film/Video: original works, with or without sound, of animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or music video/film.
• Choreography/Dance: originally choreographed dance composition.

Participation is organized by student age and grade levels. Student works are critiqued against others in the same grade division. This allows recognition and judging of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels. The grade divisions are:

• Primary: Pre-school – Grade 2
• Intermediate: Grades 3 – 5
• Middle School: Grades 6 – 8
• High School: Grades 9 – 12

(For artists needing accomodations to participate, see Accessible Arts below)

Entries are judged on creative ability and interpretation of the theme.

Any PTA/PTSA in good standing may sponsor the program. Only students that attend at school with a PTA/PTSA can participate. Parent groups not affiliated with National PTA are not eligible to sponsor this program.

Entries must meet the criteria written in the guidelines, especially file type/format, length, and size. Students should not have their full names displayed in the art piece.

• 2024-25 Accessible Arts Division Guidelines | en español
• 2024-25 Dance Choreography Category Guidelines| en español
• 2024 25 Film Production Category Guidelines | en español
• 2024-25 Literature Category Guidelines | en español
• 2024-25 Music Composition Category Guidelines | en español
• 2024-25 Photography Category Guidelines| en español
• 2024-25 Visual Arts Category Guidelines| en español
• 2025-26 Student Entry Form (fillable)
• 2024-25 Student Entry Form Packet (fillable) | en español
• 2025-26 WSPTA Student Entry Form | en español

The National PTA accessible arts division is an option for students with a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Generally, rules and guidelines within the special artists division are intended to ensure accessibility to the National PTA Reflections® program and are modeled after the guidelines outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We are asking local PTA chairs and council chairs to verify that artists meet this criteria before judging.

Complete details are included in the 2024-25 Accessible Arts Rules | en español.

Accessible Arts submissions are judged in two divisions:

• Elementary (Kindergarten – 5th grade)
• Secondary (6th grade – 12th grade)

Would you like to be part of the WSPTA Reflections Committee? We are looking for members with local, council, or state Reflections experience to join the committee. Find out what happens to your students’ art after you submit it and be a part of a program that serves all PTAs in Washington state! The committee is most active between January and May; tasks take place at convention and much can be done from home. Contact reflections@wastatepta.org.

Past Winners:

• 2024-25 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2023-24 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2022-23 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2021-22 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2020-21 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2019-20 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2018-19 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2017-18 State-Level Reflections Winners
• 2016-17 State-Level Reflections Winners