Announcing the winner of the 2022 Lights On Afterschool poster contest

The time has come to reveal the official Lights On Afterschool 2022 poster! Afterschool Alliance is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2022 Lights On Afterschool poster contest: LEAP afterschool program at PS100x in the Bronx, New York! The winning artwork will be printed on 50,000 posters and sent to all registered Lights On Afterschool events to help spread the word about the celebration. Register your event today to receive 10 free posters!

“This mural reflects the joyful community of P.S. 100," reads the artist statement about the mural, created by the program leaders and students of LEAP. "It is a collaboration of ideas that creates an inclusive and interactive space. Located on the outside of the school, leading up to the entrance, this mural incorporates nature, leadership, imagination, using oversized flowers as points of interaction for students and the school community. The flowers will have silhouette lines that mimic the shape of the stems. The silhouettes will be different sizes, representing different ages and stages of learning and growth. Students can also stand in the silhouette shape to experience the mural in a different way. The types of flowers featured, sunflowers and marigolds, represent blooms of learning, with whimsical insects playing throughout the “garden”.  A colorful sky with 100 stars will represent school. Positive words will float throughout the design. The hope is for students and families to take photos with the mural.”

The mural also allowed students to take the lead and express their creativity, like afterschool student and painter Dinardo: "My favorite part of this mural was painting. I love painting because it is relaxing and calming. Painting does inspire people, it really makes people have a smile. This is something I can feel good about.”

About the program

PS100x principal Ariana Arbolina expressed the importance of the mural for her students and community, “During a time when community building is more important than ever, our students came together to share joy through artistic expression and create a symbol of the great things that can happen when we all are one. Through our partnership with LEAP our students were able to create a work of art that is a daily reminder of hope, joy, and resilience for the school and larger community." 

LEAP afterschool programs currently serve nearly 2,000 elementary and middle school students across 28 schools in New York City, providing educational arts opportunities–visual arts, dance, theater– in order to promote equity and access.

In 2018, LEAP celebrated Lights On Afterschool with an arts showcase: Art Happens Here, which took place at the Bronx Museum of the Arts and featured nearly 70 youth performers from across eight Bronx-based LEAP Afterschool programs. Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner joined the showcase for a check presentation of $100,000 in support of our Bronx-based elementary and middle school programming. 

About the contest

This year, the Lights On Afterschool poster contest received several hundred amazing poster submissions! The poster was selected in a vote by Afterschool Alliance staff in Washington, D.C.

Visit the redesigned Lights On Afterschool website to search for event ideas, learn strategies to engage the media and download graphics and artwork to make your event shine. Don’t forget to register your event to get 10 copies of the 2022 Lights On Afterschool in your program’s mailbox!