Reflections
The Reflections program provides students with an opportunity to express themselves creatively and receive positive recognition for original works of art, inspired by a theme. Although organized in a contest format, the goal of Reflections is to encourage participation. Students are celebrated for their participation at every level. Click here for the Reflections Site.
Categories/Divisions
Students may submit an entry in any of the six arts areas listed below. Only original works of art are accepted. Depending on state and local PTA guidelines, students may enter more than one work of art. The six art areas are as follows.
Literature
Music Composition
Photography
Visual Arts
Dance Choreography
Film Production
Participation in the Reflections Program is organized by school grade. Student works are critiqued with others in the same grade division. This allows recognition and judging of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels. The five grade divisions are as follows:
Primary – Preschool – Grade 2 or up to age 7
Intermediate – Grades 3-5 or ages 8-10
Middle School – Grades 6-8 or ages 11-13
High School – Grades 9-12 or ages 14+
Special Artist – Ungraded
Tiered Judging
The Reflections Program is structured for PTAs to recognize students at the local unit, council, district, state, and national PTA levels. Entries are first judged at the local unit level, where selected works are chosen to represent the local PTA at the next level of the contest. District/Council PTAs decide how many entries they accept from their local PTAs.
The Michigan Reflections program accepts 4 entries from each age group/category from each district/council PTA to advance to the State Reflections contest. Unit PTAs without a district/council PTA can advance 2 entries from each age group/category to the State Reflections contest. Individual entries from students whose schools do not have a PTA can join the Michigan PTA and then submit their entry. Go to Submitting an Entry if your school does not have a PTA for more information.
Michigan PTA advances the single top entry that places in the Michigan Reflections contest in each age group/category to the National level Reflections contest.
Eligibility
Participation in the Michigan Reflections Program is open to all students in attendance at PTA/PTSA schools where the program is sponsored. Each local unit, district, or council establishes its own due dates which allow adequate time for judging and celebrating at that level. Local units and districts or councils then submit to the state level at the established due date.
Students who attend schools without PTA/PTSA affiliations can still participate in the Reflections program by joining the Michigan PTA. Go to Submitting an Entry if your school does not have a PTA for more information.
Theme
Reflections is theme based contest. The 2024-2025 Reflections theme: Accepting Imperfection
Communication
Please join the Michigan PTA Reflections Network Facebook page to receive more information about Michigan PTA’s Reflections program. Any leaders interested in chairing or co-chairing the MIPTA Reflections committee should call or email the committee. We need to keep this committee strong and growing and we need you!
If you have any questions please contact Michigan PTA at: reflections@michiganpta.org or call Michigan PTA (734) 975-9500.
State Due Date
Entries advancing to State Reflections are due by Saturday, January 11th, 2025 11:59 pm EST. Go to Advancing Entries to the State Reflections Contest for instructions on advancing entries to the state contest.
Resources for Running a Reflections Program at your School
The Michigan Reflections Network Facebook page is a great place to ask questions or email Reflections@MichiganPTA.org
Click here to view the Reflections Training presentation presented at the Michigan PTA Convention
Click here to view the Local Leaders Guide with step-by-step instruction on what needs to be done to run a Reflections program
Click here for a guide on how to run a Reflections program virtually
Click here to view or copy/edit a webpage with the Reflections rules that you can send to your students/parents
Click here for a fillable PDF Student Entry Form. Students can print this form and submit with their physical entries or they can digitally sign the completed form to submit with virtual entries - whichever you decide to accept at your school
Click here to Copy an online Google Form Student Entry Form. This link will ask you to sign in to a Google Account because it needs to be able to copy the Google Form someplace. Once it's copied, it will ask you if you want to Restore Folders...answer Restore so that it can create the folders where the entries and consent forms will be uploaded into. Look for these new folders in your Google Drive. Edit the copied Google Form to personalize it for your school PTA. The base fields consist of the fields you will find on the PDF Student Entry Form minus the PTA information (which a student will not know anyway)
Click here to view a presentation explaining the Reflections process from beginning to end
NOTE: While you work on your copy of this Google Form, do not be alarmed that it keeps telling you that you may be short on storage space. If you know your Google Account has enough storage space, you can ignore the warnings. The form is set to accept 10GB of uploaded files from each student. That is more than enough for the max 1GB of music, film, or dance files plus any consent forms a student may upload. When you send your edited Google Form Student Entry Form to your students to use, it will require the user to sign in to a Google Account. This is mandatory from a security perspective since the Google Form is allowing files to be uploaded.
Go to https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections/startyourprogram and scroll down to the Reflections Leaders Resources section to find thank letter template, certificate template, promotional print material, social media images, and other useful logos.
If you would like a 1 on 1 Google Meet to train you on how to run Reflections at your school, please contact Reflections@MichiganPTA.org
Thank you for all you do to promote art in your PTA/PTSA!
Michigan PTA Reflections Committee
General Participation Rules - FOR ALL CATEGORIES
Each entry is the work of only one student.
Music Composition, Dance Choreography and Film Production entries can have performers other than the entering student but the composer, choreographer or producer/camera person is the student entering the contest.
Consent form required for anyone featured in the entry that is not the entering student. Click here for Consent form or download from the bottom of this page.
Do not write student name on the front of any entries. Do not include entering student's name inside any music, dance or film files.
Only 1 entry per category per student is accepted at the state level. This number can vary at the school level.
All entries must be original and inspired by this year's theme "Show Your Voice"
Use of copyrighted material is prohibited. Plagiarized entries will be disqualified.
There are 5 Age Groups/Divisions:
Primary Age Group (Pre-K to Grade 2)
Intermediate Age Group (Grade 3 to Grade 5)
Middle Age Group (Grade 6 to Grade 8)
High School Age Group (Grade 9 to Grade 12)
Special Artist Age Group (click here to see specifics for Special Artists)
Also see summary of category specific rules below. Full category details in attachments at bottom of webpage.
2D art cannot exceed 24"x30". Include a photograph of the entry.
For 3D art, include 3 photographs from different angles.
Accepted forms of visual art include: Architecture (2D/3D), carpentry, ceramics, collages, photographic collages (multiple photos cut/pasted), computer-generated image, crafts, design, dioramas, drawing, fiberwork, jewelry, kites, metal etching/punch work, mobiles, painting, printmaking, sculpture and wind chimes.
Reproductions or enlargements of other artwork are not accepted.
Student must be the person taking the picture
Photograph cannot exceed 8"x10" and cannot be smaller than 3"x5"
Digital format of picture must also be submitted (not a picture of a picture but the original digital file - Digital image dimensions must be at least 640x960 (pixels) and 300 dpi (resolution). Accepted file formats: JPEG, JPG, PNG.
Consent form required for anyone included in the photo who is not the entering student.
Cannot exceed 2000 words, one side of paper only, handwritten or typed.
Parents can type for a student but original handwritten entry must also be attached. ESL students can write in their native language and have someone else translate the entry into English (native language version must be attached to the English version). Parents can transcribe as students 1st grade and younger dictate.
No illustrations, No books
Cannot exceed 5 minutes or 1 GB in filesize.
Student must be composer - does not need to be performer. Consent form required for performers who are not the entering student.
Acceptable audio file formats include: MP3, WAV**. Must be an audio file, not a video file.
Music notation/score or a written reflective statement that provides a musically technical explanation of how the music was created (less than 100 words) required for middle school and high school students . 8.5" by 11" paper, one side of paper only, number all pages. Optional for elementary school and younger students.
Cannot exceed 5 minutes or 1 GB in filesize.
Student must be choreographer - does not need to be performer. Consent form required for performers who are not the entering student.
Background music needs to be cited on student entry form.
Acceptable file formats: AVI, MP4, MOV.
Cannot exceed 5 minutes or 1 GB in filesize.
Student must be the producer (solely responsible for screenwriting, directing and editing). (*** Changed this year)
All entries must be original student footage (do not include footage taken by family/friends that was not directed by the student for the purposes of this submission). Inclusion of snippets of public domain footage acceptable.
Acceptable file formats include: AVI, MP4, MOV.
Consent form required for anyone in the film who is not the entering student.
Entry Form
Each individual entry needs it's own student entry form. Entry form will ask for an artist statements which consists of 10 to 100 words explaining how the entry is related to the theme, what inspired the work, etc. The artist statement is very important. Please also provide a title and do not title the entry the theme.
Individual local school PTA/PTSA will decide if multiple entries per student are allowed.
Contact your Local School Reflections Chairperson or PTA for due date and information on how to submit to your school.
Judging
In general, we conduct blind judging, so please do not write your name on your entry. Judges are selected from the community and are knowledgeable in the category. Click here to read how judges are asked to determine their scores. Note that the Interpretation of the Theme receives 40% of the score, so a strong artist statement is important.
Each local school PTA/PTSA will organize the judging for their PTA unit and organize award ceremonies as they see fit. Top entries in each age group and category from each local school PTA will advance to the district/council Reflections contest if there is a district/council PTA. Top entries will advance from district/council to the state Reflections contest. State will award the top 4 entries in each age group and category. Only the single top entry from each age group and category will advance to the National Reflections Contest.