Cooperative Living July 2017 - 15

CoverStory
Judges spot winning art in pencil
drawing of Dalmatian puppy
he judges of this year's annual Cooperative Living Youth
Art Contest knew they had spotted a Best-in-Show winner
in 10-year-old Hanlin Zhang's precisely penciled art contest
submission. The winning artwork depicts a spotted Dalmatian
puppy curled up on a red-and-white-checkered blanket.
In this year's annual contest, young creative minds
T
(kindergarten through fifth grade) were tasked with the challenge
of portraying visual interpretations of the theme, " Animals. "
We received hundreds of colorful images with artistic
illustrations of every kind of animal imaginable - everything
from lions and exotic birds to puppies and bunny rabbits.
Best-in-Show honors go to Hanlin, the daughter of Jing and
Catherine Zhang of Vienna. " I was very happy when I found out I
won. I worked on my drawing for three weeks, " says Hanlin, who
would one day like to have a dog of her own. " We are very
excited about Hanlin winning Best in Show in the contest. We
don't own a dog yet, but it has been Hanlin's wish for years, "
says her mother. In the meantime, Hanlin settles for petting all
the neighborhood dogs.
Hanlin, who is a rising fifth grader at Flint Hill Elementary
School in Vienna, used colored pencils to create her winning
entry. " My art teacher asked me to look through a folder of
images and pick something that would inspire my art. I chose
the Dalmatian because I thought it was cute, " she says. It was
a natural fit, since Hanlin says she not only loves dogs because
they're playful and fun - but she's also a huge fan of panda
bears. " They're both black-and-white animals, I guess, "
she says, smiling.
Hanlin is featured on the cover of this issue posing in purple
with her new stuffed-animal Dalmatian friend, Spotty. Hanlin
loves pink, enjoys playing basketball with her 14-year-old brother
Hanwen and says she'd like to be a pediatrician one day.
More than 425 student artists entered the annual competition,
which was judged by staff at the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware
Association of Electric Cooperatives, publisher of Cooperative
Living. First place in each grade category received a $25 cash
prize, and Hanlin's Best-in-Show work earned her a $100 prize.
" We started the Youth Art Contest to encourage youthful
creativity and give kids a chance to share their artwork with the
magazine's 1.25 million readers, " said Bill Sherrod, Cooperative
Living's editor. " Everyone who judged the entries was impressed
with both the quality and creativity of the students' work. "
The contest was announced in the February and March-April
issues of Cooperative Living and entries were due May 1.
Congratulations to all whose work was selected in the judging
process. And again this year, we want to thank all the young
artists who sent in their artwork for judging. You're all winners! 
www.co-opliving.com
July 2017 | Cooperative Living | 13
Best
In Show
Hanlin Zhang
of Vienna
4th grade
LAURA EMERY PHOTO
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2017

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