book illustration

Weekly Flash Contest #6: Draw or paint a scene from a book you are reading, or have read. Anya Geist, 13Worcester, MA The week commencing May 4th (Daily Creativity prompt #31) was our sixth week of flash contests–and our second Takeover! This time, Anya Geist, age 13, from Worcester, MA, took over the Daily Creativity prompts for the week, including some really great art prompts as well as some writing ideas. As always in our takeover weeks, Anya joined the Stone Soup team as one of the Flash Contest judges. To remind you of the process–each judge evaluates the entries independently, the judges’ scores are tallied, and we meet via Zoom to agree on our final lists of winners and honorable mentions. There were a lot of entries this week, and a large number of really beautiful artworks for us to look at. Luckily the judges had very similar views when they awarded their scores, so it wasn’t too difficult to agree on the results (though we can’t say it was all that easy with such a lot of great work to choose from!). Anya had set you a great challenge, and she had some very considered and insightful feedback on the entries. It was a real pleasure to work with her on this contest. Thank you, Anya! This week, we are announcing our 5 Winners, whose work is published below, plus 5 Honorable Mentions. We were so impressed by the different media used, and the creative approaches you all took. Congratulations, everyone! Winners (work published on this page) Analise Braddock, 9, Katonah, NY Anna Dollar, 13, Monticello, FL Catherine Gruen, 13, Chino Hills, CA Olivia Titus, 11, Houston, TX Elia Yamamura, 12, Cary, NC Honorable Mentions Sienna Olsen, 9, Tauranga, New Zealand “Albus Dumbledore” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling Yincheng Qian, 12, Dallas, TX “First View of Hogwarts” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling Ava Shorten, 10, Mallow, Ireland “Joey, exhausted, frightened and wounded” from War Horse by Michael Morpurgo Zoe Campbell, 10, San Francisco, CA “Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and Annabeth fell into the endless darkness” from Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan Amelia Barth, 10, Elgin, IL “The Beginning of the Armadillos” from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling Remember, we are running the Flash Contest every week during the COVID-19-related school closures and shelter-in-place arrangements. It is always based on the first Daily Creativity prompt of the week. The prompt is posted on Monday, entries are due by Friday, and the winners are chosen and announced the following week. A Hogwarts interior, from Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling Analise Braddock, 9, Katonah, NY “With a small leap she was on Jeremy’s back” from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien Anna Dollar, 13, Monticello, FL The picture I painted is a close up scene from chapter 7 of  Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM by Robert C. O’Brien which is titled “The Owl”. During this chapter, Mrs. Frisby must board the back of Jeremy the crow. That was easy, for as Robert C. O’Brien put it, “With a small leap she was on Jeremy’s back.” The rest of the adventure she would go on with Jeremy was much more challenging and frightening than this “small leap”. But you shall have to read the rest of the tale of Mrs. Frisby if you wish to know why. “Wingardium Leviosa” from Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling Catherine Gruen, 13, Chino Hills, CA “Wingardium Leviosa!” he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. “You’re saying it wrong,” Harry heard Hermione snap. “It’s Wing- gar -dium Levi- o -sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.” “You do it, then, if you’re so clever,” Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, “Wingardium Leviosa!” Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.’ This famous scene between Ron and Hermione, before they became friends, is from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s if you’re from England) by J. K. Rowling. “Escape from Ravagog” from Neverseen by Shannon Messenger Olivia Titus, 11, Houston, TX This scene is from Neverseen, the fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Sharon Messenger. The characters in the piece are escaping from the ogre city, Ravagog. “Self Betrayal” from “The Eagle and the Arrow” by Aesop Elia Yamamura, 12, Cary, NC This is a drawing based on a tale of Aesop named “The Eagle and the Arrow”. The eagle is flying over its home, and is suddenly pierced by an arrow feathered by the eagle’s own down. Moral: we often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.