Winners of the "Youth Voices on Mental Health" Contest 2023

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) invited adolescents and young people between the ages of 10 and 24 from the Americas to participate in the "Youth Voices on Mental Health" Contest 2023 to articulate their vision regarding the ongoing mental health crisis in the Region of the Americas.

From July 17 through August 31, 2023, more than 600 creative works were received from adolescents and young people from 27 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean. Participants competed with original artworks created especially for the competition in eight creative expressions: song, comic, drawing, illustration, narrative, painting, poem and video.

The jury, composed of a multidisciplinary group of PAHO specialists from different countries, selected nine original creative works as winners, as established in the contest guidelines: three from participants between 10 and 14 years of age; three between 15-19 years of age; and three between 20 and 24 years of age. The winning works belong to the categories of song, comic, narrative, poem, and video. The winning works were chosen based on criteria such as creativity, originality, clarity and coherence of the content.

Nine adolescents and young people between the ages of 10 and 24 from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Mexico will receive cash prizes (between US$500 and US$150) and their original works will be published in PAHO communication channels and/or campaigns related to the topic of adolescent and mental health.

Congratulations to the winners!

Many thanks to all the contestants for participating in this initiative!