Emily Davis, of Cornwall, recently received a $75 prize for winning a Christmas card contest hosted by Catholic Charities of Orange and Sullivan Counties and Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Orange County.
Davis’ original artwork will be featured on Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan’s 2018 Christmas card.
“I was shocked,” said Davis, an eighth grade student at St. John Catholic School, in Goshen. “I was really surprised. I didn’t think I would win at all.”
The contest, which was announced after Thanksgiving, was open to any first through eighth grade students from any Orange County parish, Catholic elementary school, or CCD program. There were no rules, other than to create a Christmas card, leaving the design open for interpretation. Of the 35 entries, CYO Coordinator Adam Kless said the themes were either spiritual or seasonal in nature.
Using colored pencils, Davis chose to draw a nativity scene on the front of her card. The interior included an acrostic poem spelling out “Christmas.” It reads, “A child has been born for us, a son is given to us; authority rests upon him; and he is named Jesus.”
Students had a couple of weeks to complete their entries and the winners were announced right before winter break. Davis completed her card, at home, in about 90 minutes.
“It was pretty easy,” she said. “It was a fun experience. I liked drawing the card.”
The innaugural contest was judged by a panel of students from the John S. Burke Catholic High School’s Fine Art Department.
Davis said she has no plans to spend her prize money and will likely put it in the bank.
