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9 Produced by ST Content Studio |%u201cWe had never done an art contest before,%u201d Sandis says. %u201cWe had several dozen entries from people as young as 11. It was great to see these younger people already know who they are and how to express it through art.%u201dIn 2024, Seattle Pride collaborated with art collective Coyote Central. The group organizes a gallery event during the first week of June each year.%u201cBut we wanted to work with a queer organization, and Free2Luv felt like a great match,%u201d Hearn says. %u201cWe loved that the focus was resilience, resistance and access to joy.%u201dLast year%u2019s second place winner, Ellis D. Moreno, said they were nervous about entering. As an art instructor, freelance artist and animator from Houston, they grew up closeted and bullied. %u201cThe mission behind Free2Luv hit home, and it felt right to be part of something that lined up with what I believe in,%u201d Moreno said.Moreno would encourage people to enter because, win or lose, their work may inspire someone. %u201cA younger person might see themselves in your work and feel seen because of it,%u201d they said. %u201cThat%u2019s always a good thing to give in these times.%u201d Art becomes a snapshot of what someone is living through. %u201cIt captures pain, pressure or quiet resilience in a way words often can%u2019t,%u201d Moreno said. %u201cI once heard someone call art %u2018the voice of the unheard,%u2019 and that%u2019s always stayed with me. It lingers, speaks softly or boldly and lasts long after the moment or artist has passed. In some cases, [it] can even inspire the next generation.%u201dSkanda Ravindra was 17 years old when he won last year. Currently preparing for college entrance exams in India, he said people often think art is frivolous because they don%u2019t understand the impact it has. %u201cThat becomes a reaffirmation of the efforts we as artists make,%u201d Ravindra said.Art offers three things, he says: representation, recognition and acceptance. %u201cArt is a vessel that many movements have taken refuge in,%u201d Ravindra said. %u201cIt is a way of affirming the depth of humankind through the prism of the afflicted mind. No medium can channel [what] the LGBTQIA+ community stands for better than art because the very objectives that are raised by the community are the basis of art itself.%u201dAs with last year, winners will be featured in a national billboard campaign. The interactive electronic billboards, often seen on bus shelters, include a QR code that leads to the artist statements and further information. Winners also receive prizes that include free travel from Alaska Airlines and art supplies.Tonya Sandis is the founder of Free2Luv, an art nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the voices of queer youth in the community. (Courtesy of Tonya Sandis)Patti Hearn is the executive director of Seattle Pride. She believes art can be used as a %u201ctool of resistance.%u201d (Courtesy of Patti Hearn)Entries are open until June 30, and there is no limit on the number of submissions you can make. More info is available online. There you can submit entries and also see last year%u2019s winners and entrants. free2luv.org/queer-joy-amplified.AVENUE THEATREYOU BELONG AT THEGreat musicals live here. Subscribe to the 2025/26 season today!Visit 5THAVENUE.ORG or call 206.625.1900GRIT. GLITTER.