High School Art Contest

Celebrating creativity and energy awareness in our local high schools.

Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) invites high school students in Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield to participate in an annual electricity-themed art contest. Each year, students explore a new theme related to energy, innovation, safety, or the environment through a wide range of artistic mediums. Eligible formats typically include drawings, paintings, photography, animation, graphic art, sculpture, and other creative interpretations.

Participating students earn a certificate for ten hours of community service. Winners receive gift cards for school or art supplies, along with the opportunity to have their artwork showcased in RMLD promotional materials.

The submission period opens annually in the spring. Once entries are reviewed, RMLD announces the year’s winners and highlights their work online and in community communications.

2025 High School Art + Creativity Contest Winners

Innovation has been a constant presence in the energy industry. From the invention of the light bulb to solar and electric vehicles, to smart grids and renewables, energy is truly in constant motion. This year’s challenge was to display this spirit of innovation through the student’s selected art medium. All participating students received ten hours of community service for taking part in the contest. Winning artwork may also be featured in RMLD promotional material. Winners were selected based on the creativity of the artwork and the message that was portrayed.

2025 GOLD Winners

Theadora Panousos, junior at North Reading High School

Art Submission Titled: Immense Opportunities (digital)

-- This piece is meant to be symbolic of the immense opportunities electricity has empowered humanity with. From electric cars to solar power, it seems that our opportunities for growth when it comes to using renewable energy sources are endless. Something as seemingly basic as a light bulb can light our way for years to come of clean and innovative energy sources.

Julia Smith, junior at Reading Memorial High School 
Art Submission Titled: A Whirlwind of Energy (acrylic on canvas) 

-- Inspired by Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ my artwork shows a windmill farm harnessing the natural environment. The future of energy will utilize renewable energy sources of energy like wind power. Inventions like the windmill are essential to reducing fossil fuels, conserving water, and providing electricity without greenhouse gases.

Joseph Vieira, senior at Reading Memorial High School
Art Submission Titled: Energized Evolution (digital) 

-- This piece captures the spirit of energy innovation through a dynamic blend of past, present, and future technologies. At the center, the glowing light bulb symbolizes the origin of modern electricity, surrounded by solar panels, wind turbines, and an electric vehicle—signs of today’s clean energy revolution. Swirling colors create a sense of motion and connection, representing the ever-evolving nature of energy solutions and the flow of power from renewable sources. This piece celebrates how continuous innovation drives us toward a more sustainable and electrified future.

SILVER Winners

Evelyn (Stevie) Schomp, junior at North Reading High School
Art Submission Titled: Upwards and Onwards (unknown) 

-- This piece is a symbolic representation of the future of the power grid. The power grid is essential to keeping everything running worldwide, and the future of this is focused on stabilizing it by decentralizing the large portions. The piece I created shows the power grid, tower above us in the clouds, this physically represents its growth for the future. enabling us to easily depend upon it. 

Cybele Miller, senior at North Reading High School
Art Submission Titled: Avon Street (painting)

 -- In summary, this piece represents the warmth and comforts of a home which are provided by the innovation of home heating and lighting. The illuminated orange windows, contrasting with the cool colors of the house and darkness surrounding them, represent this intrinsic warmth and light. This particular house exists on my childhood street. Its interesting blue color and purple trim always served as a landmark to me as a child, and reminded me of my home, and my neighborhood. Especially during the cold winters we all experience here in Massachusetts, harboring gratitude for the warmth and light that electricity provides is important.

Honorable Mention for 'Exceptional Creativity'

Sofia Tentindo, junior at Wilmington High School
Art Submission Titled: JoAnn the Robot (3D Papier-mâché)

 -- From the first telephone, to television, to computers, the energy industry has been booming with innovation in the past decade, creating new types of technology to better society. Th more cent years, scientists and engineers have been assembling machines to function very similar to the human brain: robots, Robots in society are beneficial for fast and efficient mass production, surgical needs, exploration into the unknown, and helping those who are disabled. The possibilities for robots are endless, and the early models shine light on further energy innovation in the future. JoAnn the Robot is made from cardboard and paper mâché. JoAnn is a female robot to represent the huge role that women play in the entire STEM field, which will hopefully continue to expand as time goes on.