Artwork by Jessica Kian

Visual senior Jessica Kian’s submission, titled “Van Gogh in Spain.” It won first place in the Seeds Cultural Contest.

Seeds Literary Magazine hosted its first ever Cultural Contest from Nov.1-Nov.30. Students of all majors submitted pieces tied to their culture, ancestry, or ethnic background, creating a sense of national pride within the Dreyfoos community.

“The reason we started the contest is because we wanted to establish a sense of cultural appreciation,” communications junior and Seeds submission editor Megan Horan said. “People should be proud of where they come from, and there’s no better way to express that than through art.”

Two first place winners were chosen, one for a written piece and one for a visual piece. All of the submissions displayed great diversity and creativity-­­shocking the Seeds staff with the potency of the pieces

“To me, it’s fascinating to see how people identify themselves,” communications sophomore and Seeds staffer Alicia Mrachek said. “I was truly moved while reading about other people’s culture and heritage, and I can’t wait to incorporate some of these pieces into the new Seeds book.”

The winner for the written category was communications senior Jessica Taylor with her poem “Você ê Como as Estrelas” (translated as “You are Like the Stars”). She tugs at the reader’s heartstrings with her use of emotional language. The winner for the visual category was visual senior Jessica Kian with her piece “Van Gogh in Spain.” Kian’s piece featured an appealing array of colors and patterns, blending Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ with the beautiful landscape of Spain.

“Both pieces were amazing,” Mrachek said. “Taylor’s poem ‘You are Like the Stars’ gave me insight into Portuguese culture; it was also really entertaining and beautifully written. Kian’s piece ‘Van Gogh in Spain’ was so unique. It had so much emotional depth that, even though there were no words, it seemed to tell a story.”

Seeds held its annual Halloween Horror Contest from Oct. 1­-30, in which students of all majors submitted their scariest works.

“I was absolutely blown away,” communications sophomore and Seeds staffer Hannah Butcher said. “We received some really amazing pieces, and looking through them made me realize just how talented Dreyfoos students really are.”

The first place winner for the written category was communications junior Kayla Kirschenbaum with her piece, ‘The Tower on the Hill.’ The poem followed a little girl who fell from a tower, and on the same night for 40 years her ghost would reappear and suffer the same fate.

“Her story was phenomenal,” Horan said. “It had all the elements of a good story: action, suspense, conflict, character development. I just couldn’t tear my eyes off the page; I was absolutely engrossed in it.”

In addition, the first place winner for the visual category was visual junior Madison Maddox with her piece, ‘Misconception.’

“‘Misconception’ is very visually appealing, but the piece also appeals to me on a much deeper level,” communications senior and Seeds staffer Destiny Washington said. “It provokes emotions of uncertainty; it has an air of obscurity, and it makes me wonder. I think that’s what really sets it apart and defines a good piece of artwork.”

Both the Halloween Horror Contest and the Cultural Contest were a huge triumph for Seeds, as they encouraged other students to submit.

“Even though the contests are over, we’re still getting a ton of submissions from students of all majors andgrade levels,” communications senior and Seeds editor-in-­chief Taylor Spruce said. “Due to the influx of submissions,I’m certain that the new Seeds book will be bigger and better than ever.”