Sophomore Wins Third Place in the Art and Essay Contest

Every+December%2C+the+HAIP+sponsors+a+public+high+school+essay+and+art+contest+on+safety+topics%2C+in+which+three+students+are+honored+at+their+membership+meeting+luncheon.+%28Photo+courtesy+of+Susan+Harrington%29

Every December, the HAIP sponsors a public high school essay and art contest on safety topics, in which three students are honored at their membership meeting luncheon. (Photo courtesy of Susan Harrington)

Bryson Antonio, Reporter

 Sophomore David Tran won third place in the 2022 HAIP Safety Contest hosted by the Honolulu Association of Insurance Professionals. A contest luncheon was held on December 20 at Pacific Guardian Center in Downtown Honolulu to celebrate the winners. The theme of the contest was “Safety Matters,” recognizing slip, trip, and dip hazards in our community. Participants were asked to take a photo, or a drawing of a discovered hazard and write a short essay on what it is and how they would repair, replace, or a solution to it. Applicants were judged equally on the quality of their photo or drawing and the creativity and/or innovativeness of their solutions. 

“I wanted to enter the contest for an assignment in my art class, and thought that the topic of the contest was quite important,” Tran said. 

He first used a pencil to sketch out his design and color pencils to give a final touch to his artwork. He worked on his artwork for over a week and it took him around 3-4 hours. 

“I often find inspiration for my artwork in nature since there are plenty of examples in Hawaii. I might enter this contest again, though it depends on what the new topic is,” Tran said. “Some advice that I would share would be to find a contest with a topic that you are interested in, and to always keep your phone or a notebook handy for when you randomly think of a good idea.”

Tran took his first art class in 7th grade, he is currently taking Drawing and Painting 2.