All throughout the U.S. young artists have the opportunity to share their feelings and perhaps win prizes for their work. Between January 9th and March 31st U.S. teens 13-18 enrolled in high school can submit their piece or pieces to the Walgreens Expressions Challenge.

From thousands of submissions only 12 artists will be selected to receive monetary prizes. Submission categories include media arts, visual arts, spoken word, and creative writing. Each category has 3 winners who are awarded $1000-$2000 by a check. Winners will be chosen 3-4 weeks after the deadline by either a public voting, private judging or a combination of both.

In 2009, the challenge began to encourage students to research their concerns and portray their perspective on such concerns using art. Walgreens Community Task Force wanted a way for students to express themselves about serious topics and connect with peers. One of their goals is to provide communities with the teen’s perspective on issues impacting their world. Senior director of Community Relations for Walgreens, John Gremer, voices “Expressions began out of a desire to help young people handle the tough issues they may be facing. Helping high school students find their voices through art lines up perfectly with our commitment to create more joyful lives through better health.”

The challenge has made a connection to thousands of students throughout the nation and helped them use their voice. When subjects are considered to explicit to talk about among the community or in school, Walgreens Expressions gives teens a chance to talk about these subjects. Expressions exists for students to have a positive impact when they make their voices heard.