State PTA Reflections Library

State Customizations

Reflections is flexible and gives state PTAs the option two (2) options for hosting the program to support their PTA’s capacity and goals:

• No Customization: Implement the National PTA program as provided, using national-level materials and requirements.

• Customization: Set state-specific program and eligibility requirements PTAs in your state must follow.  

Regardless of state-specific rules, entries advancing to National PTA must follow the Official Rules and meet relevant arts category and division requirements. See the Official Rules of the Student Entry Packet.

To maintain ease in the contest and national-level eligibility, states should limit customization and ensure the decision reflects:

• Feedback and insight gathered from state participants, Reflections reviewers and PTA leaders.

• Capacity and commitment to offer custom training and materials to participants and PTAs.

• Strategy to recognize winners that meet state requirements, but not national requirements. 

Planning Tip

States new to Reflections should consider offering one or two (1-2) categories during their first year to build interest and program experience. Gather feedback to measure interest and choose additional categories that best support your membership.

Arts Categories and Divisions

Reflections offers six Arts Categories and the Accessible Arts division for student participation. The Accessible Arts division is open to students of all grades and ages and offers division-specific accommodations to students with disabilities.

States can choose to offer one or more of the available categories and divisions. Entries are organized and reviewed in groups based on the category and divisions.

• State Reflections Page: Download and customize individual Category and Division Guidelines. 

• Craft an Entry Page: Link to the page and share national-level requirements and tips for creating entries. 

Planning Tip

If new to Reflections, consider offering 1-2 categories to measure interest in your community. Popular starting categories are Visual Arts, Photography and Literature. After your contest, survey your PTAs to find what other categories you should offer. 

Program Timeline

If advancing entries, work backwards from the national-level deadline on March 1 to set your state deadline. Based on your deadline, layout a larger program timeline that suggests deadlines for all other levels of PTA. 

Keep these timing considerations in mind:

• Depending on the number of entries you receive, organizing entries can take a day or a week.

• Judges typically need 2-3 weeks to review entries, depending on the number of entries.

• Give yourself two weeks to advance entries to the national level.

Key Resource: Use our State Reflections Leader Calendar (en español) to create your state’s program timeline.

Recruit Judges

Seek arts professionals who can score entries based on the criteria provided, including art teachers, local arts agencies, cultural organizations, colleges, community leaders and prominent artists. 

To guide recruitment, consider these tips:

• Determine the number of reviewers needed. Aim for at least one reviewer per category, with extra judges for categories with many entries.

• Use personalize outreach. Send direct invitations to community members, parents and alumni with art backgrounds.

• Be transparent. In your recruitment and invitations, share high-level details explaining the role and time commitment so volunteers understand expectations.

• Encourage recommendations. Ask members and participants to recommend artists in their network who may be interested. 

Key Resource

Download the Reflections Review Packet to customize sample recruitment outreach and training materials. 

How to Advance Entries

Entries must be advanced in National PTA’s Student Entry Portal by the national deadline on March 1. Let National PTA know that your state intends to advance submissions, so you can receive the correct permissions and support.

States may submit up to 36 entries to National PTA for consideration:

• One (1) entry per grade-level division per each arts category (24 in total)
• Two (2) entries in the Accessible Arts division per each arts category (12 in total)

In Accessible Arts, states have two (2) options to choose which entries advance per arts category: 

• Advance the two highest-scoring entries, regardless of grade-level and per arts category. (i.e., combination of two divisions).

• Advance the two highest-scoring entries, based on grade-level (i.e., one (1) entry for Primary/Intermediate, one (1) entry for Middle/High).

Entries advanced to the national level go through a double round, blind review process conducted by arts professionals. National PTA scores and award entries using the Reflections Scoring Criteria.

Checklist to Advance Entries

Before advancing entries to the national level verify that submissions meet arts category requirements, as well as the official Reflections rules:

• Only new pieces of artwork inspired by the current year’s theme may be submitted.

• Each entry must be the original work of one student only. Only one student may be recognized as the award recipient for each entry.

• Each entry must contain a title, and all entries must include an artist statement.

• If technology and/or software is used, entrants must use the “Additional Details” field to provide a brief description of the tools and method used in the creation process, including any generative elements.

Key Resource

Find all necessary requirements in the Official Rules of the Student Entry Packet and the Arts Category and Division Guidelines.

Celebration Ideas

Recognizing student winners boosts their confidence and encourages others to participate. Prizes and celebrations creating lasting memories, build community pride and acknowledges hard work.

Consider these ideas to organize celebrations and provide impactful prizes for your student winners.

Organize Celebrations

• Art Showcase: Host an exhibition displaying Reflections artwork and recognizing winners. Invite family, friends and community members.

• Award Ceremony: Organize a ceremony to present certificates or trophies. Make it special with music, decorations and refreshments.

• Award Performances: Let students perform their award-winning pieces, such as dance, musical performances or movie screenings.

• Creative Workshops: Incorporate arts education into celebrations with workshops where students can learn new techniques or collaborate on projects.

Prizes and Awards for Student Winners

• Art Supplies, Subscriptions and Gift Cards: High-quality sketchbooks, pen sets, vouchers for art stores or online platforms or subscriptions to art magazines or online learning platforms

• Books: Inspirational books related to art, creativity or favorite genres.

• Tech Gadgets: Fun gadgets like headphones, smartwatches or portable speakers.

• Merchandise: State PTA-branded items like hoodies, backpacks or water bottles.

• Fun Outings: Organize special outings, like trips to amusement parks, movie days or tickets to art museums, theaters or workshops.

• Custom Trophies and Certificates: Personalize trophies, certificates, or medals with students' names and achievements. Download and customize this template certificate, create your own, or visit the ShopPTA Reflections Shop for additional materials.

Remember Your Thank You's

There are many who contribute to the success of a state Reflections program. To maintain stable and impactful relationships with those who make the program possible, ensure you close the loop with a message of gratitude.

Who to Thank 

Include reviewers, volunteers, participants and sponsors who made the program possible. Be sure to connect with the local PTAs and schools that sponsor the program to directly thank them for their support implementing the program.

Ideas for Saying Thank You

Consider these ways to show appreciation:

• Public Recognition: Acknowledge supporters on the PTA/school website, newsletters and social media.

• Thank-You Events: Host a reception or luncheon as part of celebration events to thank everyone involved.

• Certificates and Tokens: Present certificates of appreciation or small tokens of gratitude.

• Spotlight Features: Highlight reviewers, supports and sponsors in a special section of the PTA newsletter or website to promote their personal work or businesses.

• Personalized Notes: Send personalized thank-you notes to students, supporters and sponsors.

Collect and Use Feedback

Take time to wrap up each program cycle by connecting with students, conducting evaluations, and planning for next year to ensure Reflections continues to thrive in your community.

Follow these steps to collect and analyze feedback that helps you building a strong, relevant and impactful program:  

• Collect Feedback: Use surveys or listening sessions to best engage your community. Find questions and prompts to guide feedback collection, in this Program Assessment Tool. Customize the questions based on your program.

• Analyze Feedback: Categorize feedback (participation, event organization, communication, overall satisfaction). Identify common themes, specific comments and recurring issues (e.g., logistical challenges, communication gaps).

• Document Results: Record what worked well (e.g., high participation, positive event feedback, successful promotions) and what didn’t (e.g., reviewer cancellation, entry mistakes, inefficient processes.).

Share Your Success

Promoting data-based takeaways and themes that show your state's overall success encourages participation, shows the value of PTA and PTA membership and can help engage new leaders and volunteers to support the next program.

Consider the following measures of success and create talking points or visuals (artwork, videos, theme materials) that you can use to showcase your program's success:

• Participation and Attendance Numbers: Provide statistics on student participation, broken down by categories and divisions, as well as attendees at your celebration event(s) to show community engagement. 

• Connect Impact to Membership: Use success to highlight the program as a key benefit of PTA membership.

• Quotes and Storytelling: Share testimonials about the program's positive impact. Emphasize students who advanced or received special recognition as well as accomplished volunteer judges.

• Community Impact: Highlight how the program fostered pride and mention any local business or organization partnerships.

• Educational Connection: Show how Reflections supports educational goals and integrates with the curriculum. Mention teachers who used Reflections in their classroom.

Key Resource

Download and personalize Reflections-specific membership flyers from National PTA to make joining quick and easy.

Document and Plan for Next Year

Lack of connection between each program cycle hurts program integrity and leads to lowered participation and volunteer support. To ensure Reflections remains available to young artists in your community consider these tips when documenting your program plans:

• Be Clear and Concise: Use simple language and short sentences to make your documentation easy to understand.

• Organize Information: Structure your documents with headings, subheadings, and bullet points for easy navigation.

• Use Templates: Create or use existing templates to maintain consistency across documents.

• Provide Context: Explain the purpose of the document and any background information needed to understand it. Include examples to clarify complex concepts or procedures.

• Make it Accessible: Ensure your documentation is easily accessible to those who need it, whether digitally or in print.

• Outline Action Items: Based on the feedback you collect, list specific actions for the next program that can address gaps. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines (e.g., improve registration, enhance promotions, support volunteers).