Contest Themes
We invite you to create something that reflects your lived experience and shows us how you feel about:
- Agency & Choice: When you think about having true choice or being deeply listened to, what atmosphere, colors, or symbols represent that feeling?
- Connection & Community: What does real support look like? Show us what safety or community means to you.
- Your Voice, Your Future: What represents empowerment or the power of being heard for you?
You Must Be
Ages 18-22;
A resident of Massachusetts; AND
- Currently involved, or have been involved in the past, with a Massachusetts state agency, such as the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) the Department of Youth Services (DYS), or MassAbility.
How it Works
Complete the Contest Entry Form
Submit 1 (one) piece of original artwork made by you:
- Not made by someone else and
- Not created by AI /artificial intelligence
- If you submit your original art, we are asking to use it in OCA materials that we share with children, young people, and families. Your artwork belongs to YOU, but by submitting an entry to this contest, you agree to let the OCA edit, crop, format, and reprint it across our agency materials online or in print. You also agree that if your art is selected for a prize, the OCA will physically display your artwork at its office in 2027 and 2028.
We welcome all styles of art, like abstract patterns, digital illustration, line art, photography, collage, or painting. Please send us a digital copy of your artwork (JPEG, PNG, or PDF) and keep a copy for your records.
Prizes
A panel of judges selected by Child Advocate García will award 3 Young Adult Artists special recognition based on their art’s creativity and fit with the Contest’s themes. These artists whose submissions are selected will:
Receive a $200 gift card;
Have their artwork featured in various OCA communications materials; and
Have their artwork physically displayed at the OCA office in 2027-2028.
Key Terms & Conditions
- Only individuals aged 18-22 who currently reside in Massachusetts and have been involved with or received services from a state agency (like DCF, DDS, DMH, DPH, DTA, DYS, or MassAbility) are eligible to participate.
- Each eligible participant is limited to one submission.
- Artwork may take any form, but must be submitted digitally (as a high-resolution digital image, like a JPEG or PNG).
- Artwork must be original – not the creation of someone else, and not AI-generated.
- The OCA only can accept submissions that include both the artwork and a signed release (consent form) that gives the OCA permission to access the participant’s submitted artwork in several ways.
- The OCA can only accept submissions that are submitted between October 1 and December 15, 2026.
- The OCA only can distribute gift cards to eligible participants whose submissions are accepted. In order to confirm your eligibility, you must provide all information requested in the Contest Entry Form (name, date of birth, residence, email address, etc.).
Contact Information
If you have questions about or need any help with the submission process, contact the OCA’s Youth Engagement Manager, Micah Renner at micah.renner@mass.gov.