From PORTAGE LIONS CLUB
Zion Okikolu’s artwork was selected as the winner of the Portage Lions Club peace poster contest for 2025. The runner-up was Mickenna Perkins. Both children are students in Margo Morr’s 8th grade art class at Bowling Green Middle School. Approximately eight students participated in this year’s contest. Students were able to use any media to express their vision of peace.
Zion and Mickenna, along with their parents, were honored at a dinner held on Monday, Oct. 27, in Portage. Zion and Mickenna received certificates and cash awards in recognition of their winning designs. Zion’s poster will be entered in the district Lions peace poster contest. The district covers the 11 counties of northwest Ohio and includes 50 clubs.
The district-winning poster will be submitted to the state competition. Eventually, one international grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners will be selected. The grand prize includes a cash award of $5,000 and will be recognized at a special awards ceremony at Lions Day with the United Nations. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award of $500.
The theme of the 2025-26 peace poster contest is “Together as One.” Zion’s poster was among more than 600,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual Lion’s international peace poster contest. Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the program to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.
Each year, Lions clubs around the world sponsor the Lion’s international peace poster contest in local schools and youth groups. This art contest for kids encourages young people worldwide to express their visions of peace. For more than three decades, millions of children from nearly 100 countries have participated in the contest.
For additional information about Lions Clubs international peace poster contest, visit www.lionsclubs.org/peaceposter.
