Lafayette Sixth-Grader Alex Alvarez Wins State Lions Club Peace Poster Contest

A poster built around unity earned Lafayette Upper Elementary sixth-grader Alex Alvarez the top prize in Mississippi's Lions Club Peace Poster Contest and a place in the next round of a competition that has run for nearly four decades.

Alvarez won first place at the state level with a poster interpreting this year's theme, "Together as One." His win advances him to the next stage of judging, where state champions compete for national recognition and, ultimately, a chance at the international grand prize of $5,000. At the international level, a panel drawn from the art, peace, youth, education, and media communities selects one grand prize winner alongside 23 merit award recipients from entries submitted worldwide.

Each year, Lions clubs around the world sponsor the contest in schools and organized youth groups, giving young people the opportunity to be recognized at local and international levels for their creativity in sharing their vision of peace. Each poster is judged on originality, artistic merit, and expression of the theme.

The "Together as One" prompt asked young artists to visualize collective belonging at a moment when schools across the country are being pressed to teach conflict resolution and civic empathy in practical, not just theoretical, terms. The contest assigns that aspiration a canvas, a set of judging criteria, and a civic audience at every level, making it one of the few structured programs that places a student's personal interpretation of peace in front of community leaders all the way from the local Lions chapter to an international stage. For Lafayette Upper Elementary, the state win puts the district's arts curriculum in that wider frame.

Families in Lafayette County who want their children to compete in the 2026-2027 cycle can begin by reaching out to the Lions Club of Oxford, the local club that can sponsor the contest in area schools and organized youth groups. Contest kits contain all the materials needed to sponsor the contest, including complete rules, promotional material, and recognition certificates for participants. Kits go on sale through Lions Clubs International on January 15 and are available through October 1. Submissions are due to the district governor by November 15. Full details on entering and sponsoring a local contest are available at lionsclubs.org/peaceposter.

For Alvarez, the immediate next step is the regional round of judging. If his poster clears that stage, it enters the international pool reviewed by judges from the art, education, and peace communities, with the possibility of recognition alongside student artists from more than 60 countries.