Intergenerational Mental Health Awareness Art Competition  

The City of Fremont Human Services Department extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the annual art competition!  This year, local youth and older adults came together to explore the powerful theme:  This is My Place: The Power of Belonging. 

Original works were submitted across youth (ages5-21), older adults (55+) and intergenerational categories, covering fine arts, digital art, and writing.

We’d like to thank our judges for their time, expertise, and support in helping make this event a success.
Namrata Chhangani, Roopali Chowdhury, Stacey Bamford, Rocio Keul, Dr. James Thomas, Paddy Iver,                              and Edith Bendermacher.

Congratulations to Our 2026 Winners!

CREATIVE WRITING

Ages 5–7: Mia Hopewell – “A Heart in Every Place”

Ages 8–10: Veeksha Saripalli – “My True Place: Choosing Family Over Machines”

Ages 11–13: Navya Mathur – “Guiding Lights”

Ages 14–18: Shreya Rai – “The Place I Found in People”

Ages 55+: Imelda Suzara -- "Island Hospitality"

Intergenerational: Geoff Williams and Mason Liu-- "Between Roots and Reeds"

GRAPHIC ART

Ages 5–7: Keya Shah – “Balloons of Belonging”

Ages 8–10: Alvin Zha – “Carrying My World”

Ages 11–13: Kayla Xie – “Between Two Worlds”

Ages 14–18: Inchara Nagaraju – “Born In Brushstrokes”

Ages 55+: Sumar Yadan - "Mermaid"

DIGITAL ART 

Ages 8–10: Isha Kapade – “Held By the Tree, Claimed By The Heart”

Ages 11–13: Arjun Mehrotra – “Instinct Comic Book”

Ages 14–18: Hope Chon – “Still A Child”

Ages 19–21: Aracely Garnica Silva – “Cozy”

Ages 55+: Frank Sheng - "My Home"