The GEM Art Contest promotes peer-to-peer suicide prevention by accepting student-created artwork that encourages others who may be struggling with their mental health or thoughts of suicide to keep going and/or reach out for help.   ALL students in Grades 6 - 12 in the Greater Miami Valley (Dayton area) of Ohio are invited to apply.

The winners of the contest will be rewarded with cash prizes of up to $500 each.  

The top awards will be based on five categories.  In case of a tie, we will look at overall scores to determine the winners.

Entrants can win only one cash prize.  

Besides the top prizes, additional cash prizes for categories such as Honorable Mention, will be awarded, and depending on the number of entries and donations received we will award each school with at least one winner.  (Home school students will be eligible as a "Home School" student for this award.)

Accepted artwork that meets ALL contest criteria for submission will be eligible for use in suicide prevention materials and presentations made possible by a generous grant from Culture Works.   

The judges' rubric for scoring entries can be found in the Contest Guidelines link on the "Information for Students" page at www.gemprojectdayton.org.  

Application Requirements

All entries must be received by the deadline of January 5, 2024, to be eligible for awards.  

All entrants agree to attend the in-person awards ceremony held on February 25, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at Fairmont High School in Kettering.  

All applicants (and their parents if applicant is under 18) must submit a SIGNED consent form.  

All artists give up the rights of any submissions to the contest to the GEM Project Dayton and The Grant Us Hope Foundation.

Eligibility Criteria

ALL students in Grades 6 - 12 in the Greater Miami Valley (Dayton area) of Ohio are invited to apply.  Students may be in public or private schools or in a home school.  All applicants must submit the name of their school's teacher/adviser/counselor.  Applicants under 18 years of age must submit a signed parent consent form to be eligible for entry.