Reflections

Reflections is a National PTA arts in education program. The program was started in 1969 and is the largest arts program of its kind in the United States. Students have the opportunity to use their creative talents by expressing themselves through their own original works created around a theme that changes each year. The theme for the 2024-2025 year is Accepting Imperfection.

Reflections is not “just an art contest.” It helps kids take risks, be inspired, think creatively, and be celebrated for their creativity and work. Studies have shown there is a positive relationship between the arts and well-being. Get more information about the National PTA Reflections program.

Reflections Eligibility

Lake Washington PTSA Council’s Reflections program welcomes all grades and abilities to explore and be involved in the arts. Any PTA/PTSA in good standing (as of the date shown below) according to PTA Standards of Affiliation may sponsor a Reflections program. Only students attending a school with a participating PTA/PTSA can participate and should submit their original artwork directly to their local PTA or PTSA.

Reflections Categories & 2024-25 Entry Guidelines

A student may submit an entry in any of six categories. (Click the inked categories below to see the entry guidelines.)

Dance Choreography [Coreografía de Danza] — Originally choreographed dance composition presented in a video entry
Film Production [Producción Cinematográfica] — Original works, with or without sound, of animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or multimedia
Literature [Literatura] — Original works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, drama, reflective essay, narrative or short story. Entries must be a single literary work; collections are not accepted.
Music Composition [Composición Musical] — Original musical composition, with or without words, presented in an audio recording
Photography [Fotografía] — Color or black and white. Included techniques: Photogram, panorama, photomontage (one print of multiple original photos), single or multiple exposure, negative sandwich.
Visual Arts [Artistes Visuales] — Drawing; painting in tempera, oil, acrylic, watercolor or T-shirt paints; computer-generated art; two-dimensional collage; printmaking; needlework; leather tooling (see link for all accepted visual art forms). NOTE: LWPTSA Council is accepting ONLY 2D visual art. [Sólo aceptamos entradas en 2D.]

ACCEPTED FORMATS: Council accepts only digital entries (digital files, PDFs, etc.) submitted virtually. (Hard copies of finalist selections should be collected to display at our January 2025 open house; local chairs will be notified of finalists prior.) See each category’s rules for acceptable file formats.

Reflections Divisions for 2024-25

Participation is organized by student age and grade levels. Student works are evaluated against others in the same division. This allows recognition and critique of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels. The divisions are:

Primary: Preschool – Grade 2
Intermediate: Grades 3 – 5
Middle School: Grades 6 – 8
High School: Grades 9 – 12

Additionally, the Accessible Arts Division (formerly Special Artist) [División de Arte Accesible] is an option for students with a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Generally, rules and guidelines within the Accessible Arts division are intended to ensure accessibility to the National PTA Reflections program and are modeled after the guidelines outlined in the ADA. Local PTA chairs should verify that artists meet the criteria before judging.

Judging

While the primary focus of Reflections is a celebration of creativity through positive recognition, finalists from local PTAs may advance to LWPTSA Council, then Council-level finalists will advance to Washington State PTA (WSPTA) judging. Lastly, WSPTA finalists who receive an “Outstanding Interpretation” award will then advance to the National PTA round.

Entries are evaluated based on creative ability and interpretation of the theme by impartial volunteer judges identified from the community by our Reflections program committee. Students’ names and identifying information are concealed from the entries before judging, for purposes of fair evaluation.

2024-2025 Key Dates

Monday, Sept. 30, 2024 (7 pm) — LWPTSA Council’s Reflections Kick-Off Meeting on Zoom (for Local Chairs) — View slides here IPDF)
Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 — If your PTA/PTSA is not in good standing (defined by WSPTA) by this date, Council will not accept your entries. Only PTAs in good standing may participate in Reflections (Standards of Affiliation requirement). Check with your president to confirm your PTA is in good standing.
> Register your PTA to let National PTA know your PTA is participating in Reflections this year.
Monday, Nov.18, 2024 (10 pm) — Local chairs must finish submission of advancing entries to Council no later than 10 pm on this date. Late entries will not be accepted. Please do not wait until this evening to submit your entries.
December 2024 — Council judging process
Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 — Council winners announced
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 (Noon) — Council entries due to WSPTA (LWPTSA Council Reflections chair and committee will upload all advancing entries.)
Friday, Jan. 24, 2025 (6 to 8 pm) — Council Reflections Open House (finalist celebration)
March 2025 — WSPTA Reflections winners to be announced
Thursday, May 1, 2025 — National PTA Reflections winners to be announced

Student Entry Information for 2024-25

Student Entry Packet | en español (fillable PDF) — Packet includes rules and how to enter, plus entry form. Local Reflections chairs: Complete the PTA information in the shaded box in this PDF document before distributing to your students.
Student Entry Form | en español (fillable PDF) — Entry form only, without rules. Local Reflections chairs: Complete the PTA information in the shaded box in this PDF document before distributing to your students.
Student Entry Form (DOCX format for those unable to electronically fill PDF forms) — Local Reflections chairs: Complete the highlighted information for your PTA in this Word document before distributing to your students.
Local PTAs’ National ID Numbers (PDF) — Local Reflections chairs: Use these to pre-fill entry forms before distributing to students.
Rules for Each Category (PDF):

Program Resources for PTAs

LWPTSA Council’s ’24-’25 Reflections Kick-Off Meeting Slides (PDF)
WSPTA’s September 2024 Reflections Local Leader Training Video (Vimeo video)
2024 National PTA Reflections Registration Form for Local PTAs
National PTA’s 2024 Local Leaders’ Guide | en español (PDF)
2024-2025 Accepting Imperfection Fillable Poster | en español (PDF)
More logos & graphics from WSPTA Reflections page
Judges’ Guide (PDF)
Volunteer Thank You Letter Template (DOCX)
Student Certificate Template (DOCX)
National PTA Reflections Promo Reel (YouTube video)
Local PTAs’ National ID Numbers (PDF) — Needed to pre-fill entry forms

Contact Us

2024-2025 LWPTSA Reflections Co-Chairs: Kristy Lu & Emily Sparks — Email: Reflections (at) LWPTSA.net

Questions? Contact Council’s Reflections team at Reflections {at} LWPTSA.net. Local PTAs’ Reflections Chairs are also welcome to join our LWPTSA Council Reflections Chairs Facebook Group, where members can share ideas and ask questions.