Theme: “Voices of Today, Visions of Tomorrow”
Express how today’s ideas, challenges, and hopes can shape a better future as we celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary and Sister Cities International’s 70 years of building global friendships.
What is YAAS?
The Young Artists and Authors Showcase is an annual international competition that invites students to share their creative vision through original works that promote peace, cultural understanding, and global citizenship.
About Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International creates partnerships between U.S. cities and international communities to promote peace through cultural exchange, mutual respect, and people-to-people diplomacy. Honolulu’s sister city partnerships provide students with direct connections to youth in cities across Asia, the Pacific, and beyond. YAAS is one way students can participate in these global friendships through art and creativity.
Competition Categories
Students may submit ONE entry in any of these categories:
- Visual Art (painting, drawing, digital art, sculpture, etc.)
- Photography
- Literature (essays, short stories)
- Poetry
- Music (original compositions)
Eligibility
- Students ages 12-18 at the April 1, 2026 deadline
- Must be from a city with a Sister Cities International membership (Honolulu is a member through the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA))
- Each student may submit only ONE entry across all categories
IMPORTANT: Honolulu may submit a maximum of 5 entries per category, per age group (12-14 and 15-18) to the international competition. This means we can advance up to 60 total entries from across all Honolulu schools. If we receive more submissions than this limit, the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts will conduct a local selection process to identify the strongest entries to represent Honolulu nationally.
Prizes & Recognition
At the national level
- Grand Prize Winners: $1,000 + national recognition
- Second Place Winners: $500 + national recognition
- Third Place Winners: $250 + national recognition
- Winning works displayed on Sister Cities International website
At the local level
- Recognition on MOCA’s social media
- Certificate of Recognition from the City and County of Honolulu
- Meeting with Mayor/Councilmembers
- Possibility to display entries in Honolulu Hale
- Other prizes/recognition to be announced
Theme Prompts to Inspire Your Students
- How have the voices of the past shaped today’s world?
- What would you say to the youth of the past and future?
- What does your “vision of tomorrow” look like?
- How can young people honor tradition while reimagining global friendship?
- How do shared experiences between people from different countries build empathy?
- How do cultural exchanges between sister cities build understanding between nations?
- How can art bridge the distance between communities on opposite sides of the Pacific?
- What does your “vision of tomorrow” look like for global friendship?
Important Dates
School Submission Deadline to MOCA: March 25, 2026
Final Deadline for submission: April 1, 2026, 11:59 PM ET
To allow time for local review and selection, participating schools should submit their entries to the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts by the school deadline (March 25th, 2026). MOCA will then forward the selected entries to Sister Cities International by April 1st, 2026.
Submission Process for Honolulu Schools
- Students create their original work following the competition theme
- Teachers/art departments select their strongest 1-2 entries per category/age group
- Schools submit pre-selected entries to MOCA by the school deadline
- All qualifying entries are forwarded to Sister Cities International (unless we exceed 60 total)
This option ensures every school can participate and gives teachers control over which student work represents their school
Submission Requirements
- Works must be original and conform to plagiarism policies
- Submissions based on originality, composition, and theme interpretation
- Submit through online application at Sister Cities International website
Why Participate?
✓ Develop global awareness and cross-cultural understanding
✓ Express creativity on an international platform
✓ Build leadership and communication skills
✓ Connect with peers worldwide
✓ Earn recognition and scholarships
✓ Contribute to citizen diplomacy
✓ Join a 70-year tradition of young people building peace through friendship
For More Information
Contact the Honolulu Sister Cities program coordinator in the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts at sistercity@honolulu.gov to coordinate school submissions and get support with the application process.
Visit: www.sistercities.org/what-we-do/programs/yaas/
Sister Cities International was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to promote peace through people-to-people diplomacy. For nearly 70 years, it has established thousands of partnerships between U.S. cities and international communities.
