For the first time, Diamond Bar High School artists will have the opportunity to showcase their work in a school competition. Next week, drawings and photos submitted by students will be displayed on the upper quad and judged for a chance to win art supplies.

USB art commissioners, seniors Cami Kuruma and Derek Lai, created this event to help bring appreciation to student artworks.

“We decided to hold visual arts week because we feel that art is not as recognized compared to all the other weeks such as sports and performing arts,” Lai said.

Submissions will be divided into two categories, one for photography and the other for original pieces such as paintings and drawings.

During the first two days of the event, students will be able to observe the displayed artwork submitted and vote in-person for a favorite in each category. In addition, USB will anonymously vote for its own pick. The winners of each category will be announced and awarded their prizes at the end of the week, and all students attending the event will be able to take part in giveaways.

To encourage participation, some DBHS art teachers have promoted this opportunity to their students by awarding extra credit or talking about the benefits of showcasing their art to the public.

In addition, DBHS student photographers can submit their photos to be eligible for the same prize.

“I wanted to [enter the contest] to show my photography to the school and prove that you don’t need expensive cameras to make decent photos,” senior Eugene Jeon said.

Students participating in this event were asked to sign up through an online Google Form. According to Lai, there were a variety of submissions ranging from watercolor to digital paintings.

“Visual arts week will encourage students to be creative,” Lai said. “Not only do they get to challenge themselves to create art but they can express themselves without using any words.”