Image courtesy of the Milton Public Library
Young readers across Ontario are being invited to bring their favourite books to life through the Beyond the Book Forest of Reading Art Contest, open to students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.
The contest encourages children and teens to create artwork inspired by the 2026 Forest of Reading nominees. Participants can draw inspiration from a favourite character, scene, theme, or lesson from the books and express it through their own creative lens. Artwork can be created using a wide range of mediums, including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, textile art, or digital design, as long as it is original work and not created using artificial intelligence.
Submissions will be judged in three age divisions:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Grades 3 to 6
- Grades 7 to 12
A jury will select 10 finalists whose work will be displayed in person at the Forest of Reading Festival in May. Festival attendees will be able to view the artwork and vote for their favourite piece, with the overall winner announced after the festival concludes.
The final submission deadline is April 15th. Entries must be submitted digitally as a PDF, JPG, or PNG and should include the artist’s name, school or library, a contact email, and the Forest of Reading program and book that inspired the artwork. Individual and group submissions are both accepted, and there is no limit to the number of entries a participant can submit.
One winning artist will receive Forest of Reading merchandise valued at $150. The winner also grants permission for the Ontario Library Association to use the artwork for promotional purposes related to the Forest of Reading program.
Learn more about the contest through the Milton Public Library’s event listing.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at:
- News1013@LocalRadio.ca (Milton)
- News1015@LocalRadio.ca (Orangeville)
- News92@LocalRadio.ca (South Simcoe)
- Rick.Sargent@LocalRadio.ca (Bolton)
If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
