2017 – 18 Teen Winter Challenge Results  

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

The Teen Winter Challenge results are finally in! This past winter, Chicago high school teens were asked to submit a digital portfolio comprised of an artist’s statement and four original pieces of work. We received an overwhelming response of over 100 entries from teens all around our city. The talent possessed in this year's art competition was simply astounding. Aspiring painters, musicians, fashion designers, filmmakers and photographers submitted highly skilled portfolios. 

We’d like to thank the many mentors, educators, and parents for their part in developing these young artists and for their continued support in making this important CPL initiative a huge success. Congratulations to our winners and to all of our Teen Winter Challenge participants!  

Here are the 2017-18 Teen Winter Challenge award recipients:   

Senior Achievement Award  

  • Grand Prize Winner: Assata M.  
  • First Runner-Up: McClaran S.
  • Second Runner-Up: Victoria G.  

Young Artist’s Award  

  • Grand Prize Winner: Charles T.  
  • First Runner-Up: Pearl W.  
  • Second Runner-Up: Aylin A.  

Teen Winter Challenge Gallery Exhibition  

This summer, winners and selected finalists will have their work displayed at the Harold Washington Library Center for the entire month of July. Information about the exhibit will soon be available at www.chipublib.org.  

Thank you to the jury for their tireless efforts in selecting the winners for this competition: 

  • Daniel Williams of Chicago Public Library’s Teen Services Department  
  • Grace Needlman, Manager of Youth and Family Programs at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago  
  • Hillary Cook, Assistant Director of Youth Programs at the Art Institute of Chicago  
  • Kikomo Peggs, Creative Director at Kikomo.p Imagery  
  • Maria Carrasquilla Vallejo of School of the Art Institute of Chicago  
  • Moki Tantoco, Education and Programs Manager at National Veterans Art Museum 
  • Priya Shah, Founder & Executive Director at The Simple Good 
  • Sasha Neri of Chicago Public Library’s Maker Lab and General and Information Services Department  
  • Tonika Johnson, Program Manager at R.A.G.E.