Jia (Jina) Zhao, an 11th grade student at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, Washington, earned the $6,000 Grand Prize. Zhao’s acrylic painting, Duty Among Blaze, depicts Unsung Hero James Braidwood, a Scottish firefighter known for establishing the first municipal fire service and implementing innovative techniques to combat fires in the 19th century.
“The scene in this painting is based on the Great Fire of Edinburgh in November 1824, a major disaster that James Braidwood and his newly established fire brigade bravely fought and eventually overcame to save the city’s residents,” Zhao explains in her Impact Statement. Her painting illustrates the intensity of Braidwood’s firefighting profession and pays homage to his steadfast leadership. “As I painted his determined expression and the intense fire scene around him, I kept thinking about how he stayed calm and focused under pressure. That made me ask myself: How do I respond when things get difficult?”
Congratulations to all the 2025 Awardees! ARTEFFECT selected 34 winners in the 2025 competition across the middle and high school divisions.
In this year’s international competition, students in grades 6-12 explored and championed the stories of LMC Unsung Heroes—role models who made a positive and profound, yet previously unrecognized, impact on the course of history. For their entries, these young artists created original works of art and wrote reflective impact statements to reframe these untold stories in an array of artistic expressions and reflections.
“The ARTEFFECT competition is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for young people to consider, interpret, and create original works of art about Unsung Heroes and the invaluable lessons their heroic deeds exemplify,” said Lowell Milken, Founder of ARTEFFECT and the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
Thank you to all sponsoring educators and instructors for supporting these talented young artists through the 2025 competition. ARTEFFECT looks forward to celebrating these achievements over the coming weeks!
