Manchester, N.H. (May 29, 2026) – The eighth annual Magnify Voices Expressive Art contest, an initiative of the New Hampshire Children’s System of Care (CSoC), received a record 76 entries from 80 youth across New Hampshire. Held during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the contest aims to elevate youth voices, reduce stigma and inspire meaningful change in support of youth mental health.
“This year, NAMI National’s Mental Health Awareness Month theme is: “Stigma grows in silence. Healing begins in community.” That idea of community is exactly what brings us together for this event. By sharing their stories, Magnify Voices participants are breaking the silence. In doing so, this advances CSoC’s mission to amplify youth perspectives to improve mental health, reduce stigma and inspire hope and change,” said Deb Jurkoic, NH Family Network Coordinator for NAMI New Hampshire (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and a Magnify Voices committee member.
Youth in fifth through 12th grades from 36 towns across the Granite State submitted videos, essays, poetry, drawings and paintings. A panel of judges selected 12 finalists for special recognition and a $250 cash prize at the Magnify Voices celebration event May 27 at Kingswood Art Center in Wolfeboro, N.H. The Magnify Voices Roadshow will bring the 2026 art to exhibits and events around the state.
The 2026 finalists are:
Written
- “The Body” by Charlotte
- “Dear Father” by AJ
Visual
- “Above the Dark Waters” by Brynn
- “Anger Howls, Anxiety Listens” by Emma
- “Interpret as You Will” by Linda
- “Lamb in Wolf’s Skin” by Evan
- “The Light Within” by Hannah
- “The Night After” by Bennett
- “Out of Reach” by Anna
- “The Purest Heart” by Parker
- “Striped for Life” by Marilyn
Video
- “To Fill Your Bucket” by Lindsey, Jadeis, Brynn and Caroline
During the event, attendees voted for the People’s Choice Award. Hannah Stone, the 2025 People’s Choice Award winner, announced the results. “When we share our stories through art, we give others the opportunity to feel, understand and heal,” she said. “Without creativity and the courage to speak up, our world would lose so much compassion, empathy and light.”
The 2026 People’s Choice Award went to Sophia for her piece “Bright Side.” In her submission, Sophia wrote, “In the past few years, I’ve struggled with depression and overthinking how others feel about me. It’s always left me stuck in a shadow of my own judgment of myself, but I’ve stopped caring so much about how others perceive me and I’ve started seeing the brighter side of things.”
One in five U.S. youth and more than one in seven children experience a mental health condition each year. CSoC launched Magnify Voices in 2019 to highlight youth mental health challenges across New Hampshire. Since its launch, more than 600 creative works have been submitted.
For more information or to view the 2026 submissions and finalists, visit NHCSoC.org/Magnify-Voices.
If you or someone you know needs immediate support, you can call, text, or chat confidentially with a trained crisis worker 24/7 through 988 at no cost – call/text 988 or chat online at 988Lifeline.org.
All 2026 Magnify Voices submissions are available here.
Photo captions: 2026 Magnify Voices youth artists attended the celebration event May 27 at Kingswood Art Center in Wolfeboro, N.H. (Photo courtesy of CSoC/Aperture Science Photography)