Artist of the Month for January: Dina Alassaad

To kick off our first-ever Artist of the Month contest, we asked girls worldwide to create art inspired by the theme Girls in School. And create they did! We received paintings, sketches, and photographs from four states and three countries. In their entries, artists illustrated hectic class schedules, daydreams, and even reflected on the pressures of fitting into social groups.

Our Facebook fans submitted 2,041 votes, as eight artists competed for the title of January's Artist of the Month. After tallying the votes, we're pleased to announce that Dina Alassaad, 16, of Lebanon (yes, the country, not the town in New Hampshire!) is this month's winner.

In response to the question "What inspired your work?" Alassaad wrote: "Reading the phrase 'Girls in Schools,' I looked at my books, looked at the photographs on my bedroom wall, [and I] had a flashback to what people say about my voice when I sing. And I thought, girls in schools don't know who they are, what the future holds, or which route to take."

"Whenever I ask myself, 'Who am I? [Who] am I planning to be?' I feel the whole world crumbling over my head and my soul [feels] suffocated. Could it be that I am 16, and still don't know who I would like to be?"

"I stood up and stared at my mirror: 'Who am I?' my eyes screamed. When will my life fit together, when will I see my true self? This is when I created this painting, reflecting how girls my age lose our selves sometimes. Girls in schools wish to know what the future holds. Wish to taste the fruit of their hard work; wish to see their true selves when they look in the mirror."

As January's Artist of the Month, Alassaad will receive an official Artist of the Month t-shirt, donated by T-Shirts.com, a free one-year membership to Teen Voices, publication in our online or print magazine, and a chance to exhibit at Blick Art Materials in Boston in 2013."  In addition, Alassaad will advance to our Artist of the Year Contest (to be held in January 2013) to compete for a $250 gift certificate to Blick Art Materials-Boston and a full scholarship (tuition, room, and board) to the renowned School of the Museum of Fine Arts' Pre-College Summer Art Studio—a $4,000 value!

Will you be the next artist of the month? The theme for February is LOVE."  Enter your love-themed art in our February art contest. Click here for full contest guidelines.

Meet more artists of the month here.