Now in its 21st year, Embracing Our Differences has announced its 2025 outdoor exhibitions, which will run from Jan. 19 to April 13 at Bayfront Park in Sarasota, and from March 1 to March 31 at Poynter Park in St. Petersburg. An opening event, featuring live music, family-friendly activities and displays from area nonprofits, will be held Jan. 19 at Bayfront Park in Sarasota.

This year's response to Embracing Our Differences' annual call for artwork resulted in 10,000 entries from 122 countries and 46 states, with students from 511 schools around the world submitting artwork or quotations for the exhibit. 

Embracing Our Differences awards art prizes for “Best-in-Show Adult,” “Best-in-Show Student,” and “People’s Choice” categories, with the latter chosen by visitors to the exhibit. Adult art winners each receive $2,000 and students receive $2,000, which they split with their school’s art program. 

Awards are also given for inspirational quotations; adult quote winners each receive $2,000 and students receive $2,000, which they split with their school’s language arts programs. 

The 2025 Best-in-Show Adult Artwork Award was presented to Amanda Marie of Manchester, Connecticut, for Through Your Story, a piece depicting a shelf of thoughtfully curated books that symbolize the transformative power of literature to foster understanding, amplify voices, and inspire personal and collective growth through shared narratives. The artist says that she finds herself “drawn to the idea of enrichment, particularly through the lens of literature. Books hold a profound power, empowering both writers and readers alike. By immersing ourselves in the narratives of others, we open ourselves to learning and personal growth. [When] we impose limitations or censorship on authors, we inadvertently stifle the voices of those individuals. My aim is to invite others to explore these connections and embark on their own journey of enrichment through the written word.”

The Best-in-Show Student Artwork Award went to Junho Chung, an 11th grader at Brooks School in Seoul, Korea, for Nevertheless. In it, a ballerina and a child gracefully navigate the ruins of a war-torn landscape, embodying resilience, hope, and the enduring spirit of art amidst destruction. Chung says that the ballerina symbolizes hope. “Dancing amidst the backdrop of rubble and destruction, her courage and passion remind us of the existence of hope," Chung explains. "It is our responsibility to instill hope in those who demonstrate such courage. We must act to preserve her hope.”

The Best-in-Show Adult Quotation Award is “Choosing to speak when others are silent is an act of bravery this world needs.” It was submitted by Kim Howard from Bloomington, Indiana.

The Best-in-Show Student Quotation Award is “We can choose to build bridges or spend a lifetime lost on our own islands.” It was submitted by Aashna Parsa, a seventh grade student from San Jose, CA.

For more information about the 2025 exhibits, call (941) 404-5710 or visit www.embracingourdifferences.org.