Glen Ellyn League of Women Voters names winners of Democracy Challenge Creative Expression Contest

The League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn awarded prizes to high school students at Glenbard West and South for the second annual Charlotte Swett Walter Democracy Challenge Award.

The Democracy Challenge is a creative expression contest where the students interpret the theme “Gen Z Democracy: Shaping the Future” in creative writing, visual arts, music, dance or film.

The prizes were awarded at the league’s annual dinner.

Glenbard West’s winner was Madeline Murin for her poem “Fear Our Fight.”

Emma Pekkarinen from Glenbard South won for her essay “Gen Z in Democracy: A Student Journalist’s Perspective.”

Each winning student received a check for $500 and a certificate. Honorable mentions went to Zoe Price at Glenbard South and Ash Stroh at Glenbard West, for their visual art entries.

The Glenbard Democracy Challenge was created in memory of Charlotte Swett Walter, a Glen Ellyn community activist who was known for her work promoting voter education among youth.

Her estate bequeathed funds to use in League educational endeavors in defense of democracy.

Sarah Allen, chair of the Democracy Challenge Committee, stated, “We are so proud to offer this opportunity to the youth of Glen Ellyn in the name of our longtime member, Charlotte. It's clear the topic mattered to these students. I was so impressed by their creativity and vision, and came away with a true sense of hope for the future of our democracy.”

The winning entries can be found at lwvge.org/democracychallenge.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League welcomes new members and civic minded community members to its public meetings and candidate forums. For more information, visit lwvge.org.