National PTA Reflections
We are so happy that you are considering creating a Reflections project.
Accepting Submissions October 14 2023
The due date is December 15 2023
Judging will take place in January
Welcome to the WSPTA Reflections program!
Reflections is a National PTA arts recognition program that helps students explore their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence, and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful not only in school but in life.
Students in pre-K through grade 12 create original works of art in response to a theme. The theme for the 2023-2024 program will be “I am Hopeful Because…”
Students submit their completed works of art in one or more of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts. While the primary focus of Reflections is a celebration of creativity through positive recognition, finalists from their council PTA will move on to the state round. Washington State PTA finalists who receive an “Outstanding Interpretation” award will advance to the National PTA round.
Young artists get involved by contacting their local PTA leaders. The deadline for turning in artwork to your local PTA will typically be in late autumn. Local PTAs and councils can choose to accept physical entries or virtual. Only virtual submissions will be sent to the WSPTA level for judging.
This is a great video to watch and learn in greater details of examples on each of the categories.
A student may submit an entry in any of six arts areas. Only original works of art are accepted. The six art areas are:
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Literature – works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, drama, short stories and lyrics.
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Music Composition – original musical composition, with or without words.
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Photography: color or black and white, included techniques: photogram, negative sandwich, and multiple exposure.
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Visual Arts: drawing, painting in tempera, oil, acrylic, watercolor & t-shirt paints, computer generated art, two-dimensional collage, printmaking, needlework & leather tooling.
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Film/Video: original works, with or without sound, of animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or music video/film.
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Choreography/Dance: originally choreographed dance composition.
Need a slide show with more information https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ykt-MStGxURmaLitiaxQPp5Cn5vpQ6CeULax0QO3B20/edit?usp=sharing
Frequently asked questions
How to submit art work:.
Follow this link and enter artwork here. Art works need to be created into a digitial final.
and submit to this link
If you do not have a google account - entires can be emailed to
For any questions or help please email up.pta.10.10@gmail.com or face@chambersprimarypta.com
Tips on Submitting Artwork
● Take a great photo of the art by laying it flat and photographing above.
● Find an area with lots of indirect sunlight.
● Lay down a plain table cloth to make the art pop
● Give yourself room to crop
● A camera can be used too, even better with a tripod
● Turn ON the “grid” of your phone (helps you tell when your phone is level”
● Reminder, the art may or may not be square, so give yourself grace!
● GOOGLE “take a photograph of art with a phone” to find more guidance
What are the rules:
Dance Chereography: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/dance-choreography-category-guidelines_reflections-23-24.pdf
Film Production: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/film-production-category-guidelines_reflections-23-24.pdf
Literature: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/literature-category-guidelines_reflections-23-24.pdf
Music Compostion: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/literature-category-guidelines_reflections-23-24.pdf
Visual arts: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/visual-arts-category-guidelines_reflections-23-24.pdf
Photography: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photography-category-guidelines_reflections-23-24.pdf
Special Artist Catergory: https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/21-22_WSPTA-special-artist-division-rules_reflections.pdf
Special Artist: The National PTA special artist division is an option for students with a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Generally, rules and guidelines within the special artists division are intended to ensure accessibility to the National PTA Reflections® program and are modeled after the guidelines outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We are asking local PTA chairs and council chairs to verify that artists meet this criteria before judging.
Why are there so many rules:
Since the primary goal of Reflections is to promote creativity, the program’s rules create the necessary boundaries to allow judging, exhibits, and awards.
Most of the rules associated with the Reflections program have been developed to protect student creations once they’ve been turned in and provide the ability for artwork to be displayed. A handful of volunteers are tasked with moving large numbers of artwork from place to place, and we treasure each creation.
Who can enter?
Any student that is enrolled and attends Chambers Primary.
What are the recommendations for quality recordings: Make the room you record in as quiet as possible. Close windows and turn off all noise-making devices in the room (air conditioners, fans, telephones, etc.). Do not place the recording device on top of an instrument or speakers. If needed, improve recording quality by changing the record volume or microphone location. Pay attention to what is behind the performer – make sure the background isn’t distracting. If using a phone, record in landscape mode, not portrait mode.
Can more than one person submit the same entry? Only one person can submit each entry. However, more than one person can perform in a dance, music or film creation, even though one person is the creator/submitting the entry.
How many entries can one person submit? Students may submit in as many arts categories as they would like, however, only one entry per arts category is allowed.
What is considered copyrighted material subject to disqualification?
An entrant may use copyrighted material in a Reflections® entry as long as that material is not the primary focus of the entry, or if the entrant is not trying to pass off the copyrighted material as his/her own creation.
For example, if a photograph is taken where someone is wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, that entry is acceptable as long as the Mickey Mouse character is not the primary focus of the photograph. Even if the entrant takes a photograph of a family with Mickey Mouse at a theme park, that would still be an acceptable photograph if the subject of the photograph is the family and not the Mickey Mouse character. If an entrant creates an entry that includes Mickey Mouse as a primary subject in the artwork, that entry would be infringing on copyrighted material and would be disqualified.
If you have any questions, contact the WSPTA Reflections Chair at reflections@wastatepta.org
Sources
Information was gathered from https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections website and https://www.wastatepta.org/events-programs/reflections/