National Teen Art Contest: Freedom to Read
Make your voice heard in the conversation about book bans and censorship for a chance to win $500, get published in Teen Voices magazine, and see your work exhibited in one of the Library's midtown locations! NYPL invites teens across the U.S. to submit original art to our contest on the theme of books, reading, censorship, or intellectual freedom.
Please note: Art contest submissions are now closed. Meet our contest winners below!
Announcing Our Contest Winners!
The New York Public Library is excited to announce the grand prize winner and 20 additional winners of our National Teen Art Contest! All winners will be published in a special edition of NYPL’s Teen Voices magazine, available in print and digital formats in late spring 2025, and the grand prize–winning artwork will be on view at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in summer 2025.
Your Mission
Using the medium of your choice, show or represent what the power of reading or the freedom to read mean to you through visual art.
Please note: Contest submissions are now closed.
What Can I Win?
One grand prize winner will win $500 and have the opportunity to have their winning entry exhibited in one of the Library's midtown locations. 20 honorable mentions will receive $250 each. All winners will be published in a special edition of NYPL’s Teen Voices magazine available online and in print, while supplies last, at select NYPL locations.
Suggested Activities
You can interpret the prompt in any way that makes sense to you! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Make a protest poster: Using a digital design tool or a printmaking technique of your choice, create a poster that you could take to a rally to protect the freedom to read.
- Illustrate a reading memory: Paint, draw, or illustrate a favorite reading memory. This could be a literal representation or one with abstract or imagined elements.
- Create comic art: Our Teen Banned Book Club features graphic novels that have been banned across the country. Create your own short comic depicting someone standing up to book bans in their community or discovering the power of reading.
Get Inspired
Get your ideas flowing with these suggestions from NYPL:
- Visit our online exhibition Banned: Censorship and the Freedom to Read, which showcases more than 70 items from our collections that explore the history of censorship.
- Check out the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement.
- Read essays from teens across the country about why the freedom to read is important to them.
- Join our Teen Banned Book Club to read graphic novels that have been banned or challenged.
Art by Nana Adwoa Agyemang, NYPL Teen Reading Ambassador.
Explore 'Teen Voices': Freedom to Read Edition
The winners of last year’s Freedom to Read writing contest were published in a special edition of NYPL’s Teen Voices Magazine. Read it online now, and learn more about Teen Voices at the Library.
Are you affiliated with a public or school library? Request your own print copies.
More for Teens: Join Our Banned Book Club
Read with us! Throughout the year, The New York Public Library's Teen Banned Book Club shines a spotlight on young adult titles that have been the subject of bans or challenges. Each book club pick is accompanied by a discussion guide featuring suggested questions and activities, and culminates in an online author talk.
Protect the Freedom to Read at NYPL
Stand with The New York Public Library all year long to protect the freedom to read! Discover all the Library has to offer, including our Teen Banned Book Club, programs and events, a free toolkit for you and your community, ways to get involved, and more for all ages.
Just for Teens
Calling all teens! The New York Public Library is here for you today and to help you prepare for the future. Check out digital resources, tech equipment, art materials, and more at our expanded Teen Centers. Join us for free programs and events, get access to millions of books and e-books, and much more just for teens. See you at the Library!
Thank You
Support for NYPL's Freedom to Read teen programming is provided by Macmillan Publishers.