Growing Healthy Connections
Connecting with others is an essential part of life, at home, at school, or in the community. They can happen with family, friends, classmates, teammates, mentors, teachers, significant others, or anyone who helps you feel supported and understood.
As we grow, learning what makes a relationship healthy can help us feel safe, respected, and valued. Healthy connections often include honest communication, kindness during challenges, respect for boundaries, and appreciation for differences. Connections can take many forms across age, background, culture, identity, or family structure.
Your relationship with yourself matters too. When you treat yourself with respect, accept what makes you unique, and set healthy boundaries, it becomes easier to build strong connections with others.
For this year’s theme, please share what “Growing Healthy Connections” means to you and how supportive relationships, with yourself and others, help you learn, grow, and feel valued.
Use the questions below to help spark ideas. (You do not have to answer all).
- Who are some healthy connections in your life?
- What makes a relationship healthy, safe, and supportive for you?
- How does self‑respect or self‑acceptance help you connect with others?
- Who models healthy relationships for you?
- How have relationships shaped your past, supported your present, or influenced your future?
- How do relationships help you build bridges across differences like culture, race, religion, abilities, family structure, or gender identity?
- How can healthy relationships help make your school, neighborhood, or community a better place?
NOTE: GUA participants must LIVE and/or ATTEND a school within the following NINE counties: Santa Clara, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, Solano, Napa, Alameda, or San Mateo County.
One (1) $1,000 Lance Lew Grand Prize winner
Nine (9) $500 Best in Class winners
Ten (10) Honorable Mentions
Winners of the Best in Class awards will be chosen from each grade/entry category. Nine winners will receive a $500 award each, while one Best in Class winner will be selected to receive this year’s Grand Prize and a $1,000 award. Additionally, ten Honorable Mentions, one from each category, will be recognized for their work. All winners will have their entries showcased on the AACI website and will have the opportunity to be featured on NBC Bay Area.
- Students of ALL ethnicities are invited to submit entries.
- You must be in a grade Kindergarten through 12.
- You must live or attend school in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano or Sonoma County.
- If you have won in previous years, you cannot submit an entry in the same category that you won. You are allowed to participate in a different grade/entry category. The grade categories are grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The entry categories are Art, Essay and Video. Grand Prize winners from previous years will not be eligible to receive the grand prize again.
- Contestants cannot win a prize in more than one category (ex. both Art and Essay).
- Children of contest judges or screeners are ineligible to submit entries.
All entries will be submitted online this year! Submission forms will open on March 01, 2026. When submitting, please do not include identifying information, such as your name, in your artwork, essay or video title/name, as judging requires all submissions to be anonymous.
Art (K-12)
- Format: The file must be no more than 250 MB and be in .jpg, .png, or .pdf.
- Materials and Media: Anything two-dimensional. All paints, crayons, colored pencils, markers, photographs, computer-generated graphics etc. are accepted. Please do NOT use sculptures, pop-ups, or framed canvases, or include any writing on your art.
Essay (K-12)
- Format: Entry must be no more than 250 MB and be in either .pdf or .word format.
- Length: The essay should be 500 words MAXIMUM. Hand-written essays are accepted but must be scanned and submitted online. Please note that you do not have to answer every question in your essay.
Video (6-12)
- Video Category Eligibility: Open ONLY to two grade categories (Grade 6-8 and Grade 9-12)
- Format: Videos must be MAXIMUM 1 minute long, and the file size should be no larger than 300MB. The accepted file formats are .avi, .mov, and .wmv.
- For GROUP submissions in the Video Category, the groups are limited to three members. Please refer to the FAQ section for submission guidelines.
The Growing Up in America 2026 submission form is now closed and winners have been announced on Winners of Growing Up in America – AACI!
- You may send ONLY one entry in each category of Art, Essay, and Video (Grade 6-8 and Grade 9-12 only). We will NOT accept more than one entry per category. Art is judged separately from essays, so please do not submit an entry that combines your essay with your art piece. Each entry must have a separate complete entry form.
- Winning entries are selected based on creativity, originality and skill in the category. Winners are notified by the end of April.
- Submitting an entry to the contest is considered a grant of license to AACI to use the materials in any manner, including the creation of derivative works without payment of a royalty. AACI is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and will only use these materials to further its charitable and educational mission.
All entries must be submitted ONLINE by the deadline. Entries sent by mail or fax will NOT be accepted.