Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC — Sister Cities International announced today the winners of the 2010 Young Authors and Artists Showcase. The winning pieces will be part of a traveling art show that will tour various sister cities across the United States. The show will kick off at the Sister Cities International Annual Conference, July 29-31 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Grand Prize Domestic and International Winners will receive complimentary registration to the Youth Leadership Conference, July 27-August 1 in Albuquerque, and $1,000 each for travel expenses.

For the past 22 years, youth ages 13 to 18 from U.S. sister cities and their international partners have participated in the Young Artists and Authors Showcase. The 2010 theme Your World is an opportunity for young artists to express their personal vision of how cultures and experiences have influenced their ideas and perspectives of the world. This program has been made possible through the generous support of The Carvey Family.

The finalists in each category are:

Art

• Kaho Kosugi, Fujisawa, Japan, sister city of Miami Beach, Florida (International Winner)
• Andrew Sosa, Columbia Heights, Minnesota (Domestic Winner)
• Melissa Peterson, Elkhart, Indiana
• Emanuel Says, Culver City, California
• Savion Mingo, Buffalo, New York
• Olivia Fletcher, Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Takuto Tanaka, Morita Fukui City, Japan, sister city of New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Ekaterina Vlasova, Sarov, Russia, sister city of Los Alamos, New Mexico
• Anete Vidnere, North Down Borough, Northern Ireland, sister city of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Su Xi, Beihai, Guangxi, China, sister city of Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Wenyue Xue, Zhengzhou, China, sister city of Richmond, Virginia (International Winner)
• Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, San Francisco, California (Domestic Winner)
• Kiavi Taylor, Portsmouth, Virginia
• Katie Calderon, Phoenix, Arizona

• Lilla Saary, Debrecen, Hungary, sister city of New Brunswick, New Jersey (International Winner)
• Azza Cohen, Highland Park, Illinois (Domestic winner)
• Andrew Daliere, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Robyn Konicki, Stillwater, Oklahoma

MEDIA CONTACT: Frances Reimers, 202.347.8630 x8251 or freimers@sister-cities.org

About Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International facilitates nearly 2,000 partnerships in 136 counties on six continents between 600 communities in the Unites States with similar municipalities abroad. Sister Cities International represent citizen diplomats who work tirelessly to promote the organizations' mission of creating world peace and cultural understanding through economic and sustainable development programs, youth and education projects, arts and culture, as well as humanitarian assistance. Facebook: Sister Cities International; Twitter: @SisterCityIntl.