The Sydenham District Association (SDA) is running an art contest open to youth in Kingston.

Tuesday, Jan. 31, is the submission deadline. Winners will be announced on Feb. 10 across several age categories—the best in the 15-18 and 19-25 brackets will each take home $50.

The Journal spoke with Tara Sharkey, SDA board member, about the contest and using art to strengthen relationships between youth and the community.

“We wanted to include the [19-25] age group to let the students of Queen’s know that we are here. We would love for them to be part of it,” Sharkey said.

The contest prompt is ‘What I Love About Winter!,’ which Sharkey said was inspired by her 11-year-old daughter’s excitement about snow. She hopes the open-ended nature of the prompt leads to a variety of submissions in all styles and mediums.

“It will be really interesting to see what people submit—some people do some interesting cake decorating these days,” she joked.

“We are open to whatever people submit and what they consider art.”

The timing of the contest is no coincidence. Sharkey and the SDA want to give artists something to be excited about during this chilly January lockdown.

“[The contest] had been on the back-burner, but we wanted to get it out now because this [current lockdown] is just depressing,” she explained. “It’s a great opportunity to give something a try.”

Sharkey added that working on art can be therapeutic.

“There is a lot behind art and mental health. Hopefully, students can see it that way—as an opportunity to spend some time doing something to help their mental health.”

While the pandemic has undeniably stressed the relationship between Queen’s students and the broader Kingston community, Sharkey wants to be part of the solution.

“We have common goals. We want to be able to have those communication lines open. The Sydenham District Association wants safer housing for students, safer travel areas, and for [everyone] to feel welcome in the community.”

Sharkey believes offering programming like art contests can be beneficial.

“[Student gatherings] are a very contentious issue around the city, but we would really like Queen’s and the city to start thinking out of the box, more proactively,” she said.

“We have to plan for good, safe activities, not crazy ones where the police are involved. [With the art contest], we just want to promote good relations between students and the Sydenham District.”

For full contest details and to submit artwork, visit the SDA website.