Reflections is a National PTA arts in education program. The program was started in 1969 and is the largest arts program of its kind in the United States. Students have the opportunity to use their creative talents by expressing themselves through their own original works created around a theme that changes each year. The theme for the 2025-2026 year is I Belong.
Reflections is not “just an art contest.” It helps kids take risks, be inspired, think creatively, and be celebrated for their creativity and work. Studies have shown a positive relationship between the arts and well-being. Get more information about the National PTA Reflections program.
Reflections Kickoff 2025-2026
Jump directly to:
Categories | Divisions | Judging | Key Dates
Student Entry Forms | Resources for Local PTAs
Advancing Local Entries to Council
2026-2027 Theme Contest
2024-2025 Council-Level Winners | 2024-2025 WSPTA Finalists | 2024-2025 National Winners
2025-2026 Council-Level Winners
Reflections Eligibility
Lake Washington PTSA Council’s Reflections program welcomes all grades and abilities to explore and be involved in the arts. Any PTA/PTSA in good standing (as of the date shown below) according to PTA Standards of Affiliation may sponsor a Reflections program. Only students attending a school with a participating PTA/PTSA can participate and should submit their original artwork directly to their local PTA or PTSA.
Reflections Categories & 2025-2026 Entry Guidelines
A student may submit an entry in any of six categories. (Click the inked categories below to see the entry guidelines.)
- 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 & computer generated art, two-dimensional collage & mixed media, printmaking. LWPTSA council is not accepting 3D art. *Please no stretched canvas more that ¾ in. and please no framed art.*
- Film/Video : Original works, with or without sound, of animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or music video/film.
- Choreography/Dance : Originally choreographed dance composition.
Reflections Divisions for 2025-2026
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: Preschool – Grade 2
Intermediate: Grades 3 – 5
Middle School: Grades 6 – 8
High School: Grades 9 – 12
(For artists needing accommodations 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.
ACCEPTED FORMATS: Council accepts only digital entries (digital files, PDFs, etc.) submitted virtually. (Hard copies of finalist selections should be collected to display at our January 2026 open house.) See each category’s rules for acceptable file formats.
Additionally, the 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 Accessible Arts division are intended to ensure accessibility to the National PTA Reflections program and are modeled after the guidelines outlined in the ADA. Local PTA chairs should verify that artists meet the criteria before judging.
Judging
While the primary focus of Reflections is a celebration of creativity through positive recognition, finalists from local PTAs may advance to LWPTSA Council, then Council-level finalists will advance to Washington State PTA (WSPTA) judging. Lastly, WSPTA finalists who receive an “Outstanding Interpretation” award will then advance to the National PTA round.
Entries are evaluated based on creative ability and interpretation of the theme by impartial volunteer judges identified from the community by our Reflections program committee. Students’ names and identifying information are concealed from the entries before judging, for purposes of fair evaluation. [See “Leader Resources” below for judges’ guide.]
ENTRY FORMS
Leader Resources
Kick-off Slides (will update on the 30th of Sept)
LOCAL and NATIONAL PTSA Numbers
LWPTSA Reflections Timeline 2025-2026
| Sept 30, 2025-7PM | Kick-off -Send your local chair @ LWSD Resource Center | Reflections Kickoff 2025-2026 PDF of Slides |
| Nov 12, 2025 | Entry portal opens for uploading entries to council | |
| Nov 17, 2025 – 9AM | Standards of Affiliation Checkpoint | If your PTA/PTSA is not in good standing (defined by WSPTA Standards of Affiliation) by this date, Council cannot accept your entries. Check with your president to confirm your PTA is in good standing. |
Nov. 16, 2026 – 11:59 PM | Entries DUE and portal closes | Submit entries here when available |
| Nov 17-18, 2025 | Check-in calls with council | Sign-up for timeslot here when available |
| Jan 5, 2026 | LWPTSA Council announces Results | 2025-2026 LWPTSA Reflections Results posted here when available |
| Jan 15, 2026 | Council-Level Entries Due to WSPTA | No action required from local chairs |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Hang art at the LWSD Resource Center | Send a representative to hang your school’s VA & PH entries and bring hard copies of literature. |
| Jan 21-26, 2026 | Art Walk | Reflections entries will be on display at the LWSD Resource Center and can be viewed during operational hours. |
| Jan 23, 2026- 5-7PM LWSD Resource Center | LWPTSA Reflections Open House | Invite your local families to come celebrate our Council Reflections entrants. |
| Jan 27, 2026 | Take down art at the LWSD Resource Center | Send a representative to collect your school’s VA & PH entries and bring hard copies of literature to be returned to the students. |
| March 2026 | WSPTA Announces State-Level Winners | |
| May 2026 | National PTA announced winners |
Contact Us
2025-2026 LWPTSA Reflections Co-Chairs: Emily Sparks & Ayesa Kaur — Email: Reflections (at) LWPTSA.net
Questions? Contact Council’s Reflections team at Reflections {at} LWPTSA.net. Local PTAs’ Reflections Chairs are also welcome to join our LWPTSA Council Reflections Chairs Facebook Group, where members can share ideas and ask questions.