One of the many highlights from this year’s Festival of the Sky Islands, held recently in Moctezuma, Sonora, was the annual drawing contest. The prompt: Draw your favorite natural landscape of Moctezuma and its surroundings.
The contest aimed to encourage our youth to have a greater connection with nature, especially in the Sky Islands. Something that gave me great joy was seeing that most of the kids who participated last year also joined this time and to notice all their effort and how much they’ve grown artistically. A big thanks to all who participated and helped make this contest possible. Below are this year’s winners.
Younger Kids
1st Place — “Un atardecer en la Sierra” by Irlanda Miranda Fimbres, age 10. “This drawing represents a female puma in its natural habitat. I made this because it represents us, and since these cats live near us in the high mountains. I also do it to raise awareness to protect pumas and other fauna of our state.”
2nd Place — “Monstruo de Gila sobre la piedra” by Vanesa García Barceló, age 8. “A Gila monster poses on a stone in its natural habitat.”
3rd Place — “Época de lluvia” by Arielle Rocío Martínez Méndez, age 11. “My drawing represents the landscape of Moctezuma.When it begins to turn green, after the rains, the animals and plants coexist happily.”
Older Youth
1st Place — “Naturaleza bucólica” by Kevin Francisco Monge Domínguez, age 19. “A simple manga-style illustration where there is a bear, cactus, cholla flower, and ironwood, among other things, in the hope of giving the sense of an idyllic meadow.”
2nd Place — “Malpaís” by Valeria Moreno Gutiérrez, age 16. “A rattlesnake sticks out its tongue while facing forward. This kind of snake is often found in desert areas surrounded by volcanic rocks, saguaros, and bushes. The area where it’s located is known as a “badland.”
3rd Place — “Yin y Yang” by Ana Paulina Gamboa Navarro, age 22. “A representation of life and death in the mountains. The dull and colorful. The good and bad.”
3rd Place —”Los colores de la sierra” by Andrea Elías Verduzco, age 25. “Between the moon and the sun, starry night and colorful afternoons, a river full of life, as well as agave for the blessed drink that is bacanora. The importance of wildlife conservation represented in a black bear, as well as a white-tailed deer characteristic of the region.”
