Holiday Card Contest

About the Holiday Card Contest

Since 2017, YES Prep's annual Holiday Card Contest has shared the artistic talents of over 700 students with donors, supporters, and community members. Each fall, all secondary art classes are invited to participate in submitting winter or holiday inspired paintings or drawings. The first-place winner has their artwork, photo, and bio featured in the YES Prep holiday card to donors and supporters.

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Meet our 2025 Student Finalists

1st Place - Maritza Sanchez

Artist: Maritza Sanchez, 11th Grader at YES Prep Gulfton Secondary

Artwork Name: "Peaceful Winter"

Inspiration behind art: "My inspiration came from how peaceful and silent winter can be. When it is winter, people tend to stay home and be with their families. In my piece, I wanted to portray how a calm and quiet winter can give a sense of comfort and peacefulness."

What YES Prep means to me: "YES Prep is a big part of my life, where I was able to create a community with those around me. YES Prep has also provided me with many academic opportunities."

2nd Place - Justin Lopez

3rd Place - Daniela Coronado

Gael Gutierrez

Miguel Arriaga

Artist: Miguel Arriaga, 11th Grader at YES Prep North Central Secondary

Artwork Name: "Cozy Christmas Night"

Inspiration behind art: "The inspiration behind this art piece is that I wanted to show some vibes of the holiday spirit using warm and cozy tones. When its Christmas time and the weather outside is cold my family puts on our chimney on and all of us stay near it, and we start to share family bonding time together. I always feel a sense of joy when we put the chimney in this time because I get to spend time with family and make good memories with them. With this inspiration in mind, I made my artwork which is called Cozy Christmas Night."

What YES Prep means to me: "What YES Prep means to me is schools with many academic opportunities that will help students achieve their goal of going to college or any major goals a student has after high school. YES Prep brings so much support to students so they could stay in the right path to their plans or goals in their life."

Amy Chavez

Ruth Rubio Yanes

Artist: Ruth Rubio Yanes, 11th Grader at YES Prep White Oak Secondary

Artwork Name: "Cozy Holiday"

What YES Prep means to me: "To me and my family, YES prep means opportunity, hope, and a brighter future. It's more than just a school, it's a place that believes in every student's potential, even when we sometimes doubt ourselves. YES Prep has shown me what it means to work hard, not matter where you come from or what challenges you face."

Melanie Albornoz

Artist: Melanie Albornoz, 10th Grader at YES Prep Southeast Secondary

Artwork Name: "Snowfall"

Inspiration behind art: "In this artwork named Snowfall, I created a neighborhood street, some trees that are covered in snow, as well as some houses with their lights on, using one-point perspective. I also included tiny white circles all around to represent snowfall with a light blue background as the sky. This artwork is supposed to be my vision of first seeing snow in my neighborhood as I walk out. Some elements I used well in my artwork are color and line. I used a line to outline the snow and make the tree branches. I used color to emphasize the trees, the houses, and the light blue sky as the background."

What YES Prep means to me: "What YES Prep means to me and my family is being prepared for college and a variety of opportunities to earn college credit that will help students a lot in the future."

Christal Moreno-Angel

Artist: Christal Moreno-Angel, 7th Grader at YES Prep Northwest Secondary

Artwork Name: "Snow to the Northern Lights"

Inspiration behind art: "Last year when it snowed in Houston, I went outside with my brother to make a snowman. He really wanted to see the Northern Lights."

What YES Prep means to me: "YES Prep gives me a great education where I get to know new people."