National PTA has announced the winners of its 2025-2026 Reflections student art program, honoring seven students with Outstanding Interpretation Awards and recognizing over 240 others across 34 states. The awards, given for creative works exploring the theme “I Belong,” come amid significant pressure on arts funding
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Seven students, six disciplines, one theme
The Reflections program, now in its fifth decade, invites students from pre-K through grade 12 to submit original works in dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts.
Hundreds of thousands of students participated in the 2025-2026 cycle, with arts professionals reviewing submissions for both technical skill and the ingenuity of each student’s interpretation of the theme.
This year’s Outstanding Interpretation Award recipients reflect the geographic and creative breadth of the program. Maurice Ironheart from South Canyon Elementary in South Dakota created a dance choreography titled “Siyo Waci” while Mika Chang from Norman Rockwell PTA in Washington produced a film called “The Village of Balloons.”
Shailesh Vimal from Riverdale Heights Elementary in Iowa wrote a piece of literature titled “Between Two Worlds I Belong.” Zachary Foss from Shawnee Mission South High School in Kansas composed a piece of music called “Home.” Peter Malabuyo from Andrus PTA in Idaho captured a photograph titled “I Mala-Belong.”
Celena Zhang from Mount Si High School in Washington also received an award for a visual arts piece called “Outside the Glass.” Fernando Nunez from El Dorado High in California received his award in the Accessible Arts Division for a film titled “My Life in Puzzle Pieces.”
Each Outstanding Interpretation Award recipient receives an $800 scholarship while their local PTA receives $200 to support arts and culture in the community.
“We are thrilled to recognize the 2025-2026 national Reflections winners and shine a light on the incredible talents and creativity of our nation’s students in the arts,” said Yvonne Johnson, President of National PTA.
Arts education under pressure
National PTA told Charity Journal it introduced accessibility enhancements for the Accessible Arts Division this year and added 24 additional national-level awards, creating more opportunities for student artists with disabilities to receive recognition. The expansion reflects a deliberate push to strengthen visibility and engagement for students whose work has historically received less institutional support.
The House FY2026 budget proposal includes the complete elimination of the Assistance for Arts Education program, framed as a move to prioritize core academic subjects, a cut that would further limit access to music and arts education across the country.
Furthermore, the Trump administration has also proposed terminating the National Endowment for the Arts in the FY2026 budget, with hundreds of arts organizations receiving grant cancellation notices. National PTA plans to use the stories of this year’s Reflections winners to push back against that narrative directly.
“Arts education is not extra or optional and is a vital part of student learning, expression, connection and well-being,” said Howie Berman, Executive Director of National PTA. “For over 50 years, the Reflections program has provided opportunities for recognition and access to the arts for students of all grades.”
The organization will elevate the student winners through Arts Education Week and National Arts and Humanities Month later in the year, treating the awards as the opening of an advocacy argument.