Munson Healthcare launches Voices for Food Access art contest

Munson Healthcare launched the regional "Voices for Food Access" art contest on Jan. 14, inviting Northern Michigan residents of all ages to submit original works that explore what food access means. Artists may enter visual art, photography, fiber art, written word, or short music pieces up to 60 seconds. Submissions are due by Feb. 11, and the first 75 entries will receive a $50 digital grocery gift card and a ticket to the Northwest Michigan Food Coalition Empty Bowls event.

The contest awards winners across three age categories. Each winner will be able to direct a $1,000 Munson Healthcare donation to a local food access organization, channeling prize money into neighborhood food pantries, meal programs, community gardens or other locally chosen efforts. Organizers frame the contest as part of Munson’s ongoing community health and food access initiatives, using art to surface lived experience and guide philanthropic dollars toward local needs.

For Grand Traverse County residents this contest is both an opportunity to be heard and a tangible way to influence how resources flow in the community. Food access is a core social determinant of health: shortages and instability increase risks for chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, worsen mental health outcomes, and strain emergency services and primary care. By empowering community members to identify needs and direct donations, the program ties creative expression to practical, place-based health investments.

The incentive structure also reduces barriers to entry. The first-come grocery gift cards offer immediate food relief to participants, while the Empty Bowls ticket connects artists and neighbors with a local food coalition event that raises awareness and funds. Those features may be particularly meaningful for students, families on limited incomes, older adults and others who experience day-to-day food insecurity in northern Michigan.

This initiative reflects a broader shift in health systems toward addressing upstream drivers of health through community partnerships and targeted funding. For residents, the contest offers a low-barrier way to contribute to how local food programs are supported and expanded.

To participate or learn submission details, visit munsonhealthcare.org/about-the-system/news-media-relations/news/munson-healthcare-calls-voices-food-access-art-contest. For Grand Traverse County readers, this is a chance to use creative voice to steer dollars where they are most needed and to help shape conversations about food, health and equity in our community.