Every year, almost one thousand Bay Area students in grades kindergarten through 12 submit artwork, essays, poems and videos on a single theme, competing for over $20,000 in cash and prizes. Asian Pacific Fund started the signature program in 1995 as one of the largest youth celebrations of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the nation. It encourages young Asian Americans to take pride in their identities, and helps others understand the varied experiences of our youth growing up in the Bay Area’s diverse communities.
The Asian Pacific Fund is a non-profit community foundation dedicated to strengthening the Bay Area’s Asian and Pacific Islander community. We raise funds and distribute grants to more than 70 non-profit organizations that serve our most vulnerable community members. Growing Up Asian in America is one of our signature programs that gives our youth an opportunity to express what it means to grow up as part of this multi-faceted community and celebrate who they are and where they come from in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage month. It also raises awareness of the issues that our youth are grappling with as they navigate growing up both Asian and American.
This year we had over 600 entries from students from throughout the Bay Area, and we are giving away more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. To commemorate the summer Olympics, this year’s theme asked youth to share who they would honor with a gold medal. The entries we received truly reflected the Olympic spirit and gave us a chance to cheer on and celebrate the stories and legacies of students’ personal heroes.
Check out the winning entries by clicking here
To view album artwork, click here
