Lemon Grove's Khadijah Amatur-Raheem took home second place in the Teens category for a work called "The Wonders of Reading" in an art contest hosted by the San Diego County Library.
The 15-year-old said of the drawing, "I always love it when I find a good book that transports you, and I wanted to show in this piece how much I love my local library and the books in it."
The contest's theme, 100 Years of Stories, honors the county library's centennial celebration.
The county library partnered with Blick Art Materials to put on the countywide contest that was open to all ages. There were first, second and third place winners in three age categories: Kids (12 and younger), Teens (13-17), and Adults (18 and older).
The first place winners in each age group will have their artwork featured on bookmarks distributed at all County Library locations, and all nine winners received prizes and will be featured in a rotating art exhibit at branches throughout the county, according to a county library press release.
Kids category winners were Irene Huang (first place, 9 years old, Del Mar Branch), Clara Truong (second place, 6 years old, San Marcos Branch) and Kayla Linthicum (third place, 12 years old, Julian Branch).
Teens category winners were Meagan Moschetti (first place, 17 years old, El Cajon Branch), Khadijah Amatur-Raheem (second place, 15 years old, Lemon Grove Branch) and Meilynn Shi (third place, 14 years old, 4S Ranch Branch).
Adults category winners were Diana Linthicum (first place, Julian Branch), Carla Bange (second place, Poway Branch) and Luis Fernando Esparza (third place, San Marcos Branch).
"Art is a form of expression that is universally recognized throughout various mediums and cultures," said Library Director José Aponte. "This art contest brought customers of all ages and backgrounds together to create and explore art and literature at the library."
[Click here to see all the winning entries.]
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