Earlier this month, eighth grader Jacqueline Au and junior Matthew Lee received accolades in the 2017 Growing Up Asian in America Awards, organized by the Asian Pacific Fund. Au was named Best in Class among students in grades 6-8 in the art category for her piece, titled “Together, We Lead.” Lee received an honorable mention in the essay category for grades 9-12.

More than 600 Bay Area students in grades K-12 entered this year’s contest, which offers more than $20,000 in prizes for artwork, essays and video projects. The theme of this year’s contest was “Letter to the Senator,” in which students were encouraged to send messages to U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, who made history in the 2016 general election as the first Indian-American and second African-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

Au’s and Lee’s works can be viewed at the Growing Up Asian in America website.