The City of Santa Clarita in partnership with the Santa Clarita Valley International Program (SCVIP) is inviting youth, ages 13 to 18, to submit artwork, poetry, or essays for the Young Artists and Young Authors Showcase and Competition. The theme for this contest is “Youth as a Catalyst for Change.”

Local youth are encouraged to enter pieces that reflect how communication, technology, and individual initiative lead to worldwide social change. Submissions may highlight how social media and other global communication tools create change within communities.

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The contest is sponsored by Sister Cities International, a non-profit organization that unites cities with communities abroad to solve problems through diplomatic and cultural exchanges. Currently, the City of Santa Clarita has two international Sister Cities in Tena, Ecuador and Sariaya, Philippines.

All artwork, poetry, and essay submissions are due on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at the front desk at City Hall, located at 23920 Valencia Boulevard. Judging will take place on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

Contest winners will receive $100 and honorary recognition by Santa Clarita City Council. Additionally, artwork, essay, and poetry winners from Santa Clarita will move on to compete at the national level in Washington DC.

For more information or to receive an entry form, please visit Santa-Clarita.com/sistercities, or contact Management Analyst Elena Galvez at (661) 255-4317, or by email at egalvez@santa-clarita.com.