Young people from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, and Mexico win the PAHO Youth Voices 2023 Contest

Washington, D.C., 11 October 2023. Nine young people from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Mexico have won the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Youth Voices Contest, which asked adolescents and young people between 10 and 24 years of age to articulate their vision regarding the ongoing mental health crisis in the Region of the Americas.

A jury made up of PAHO specialists from various countries and cultures with experience in graphic design, communications, public health, and video selected the most outstanding submissions from among more than 600 participants based on criteria such as creativity, relevance, originality, clarity and coherence of the content. The winning submissions included comic, narration, poem, song, and videos.

“We appreciate the voices and perspectives of all adolescents and young people from the Region’s countries who joined this initiative. It was very inspiring for us to review their contributions and learn what they think about mental health through their selected medium,” Dr. Sonja Caffe, PAHO Adolescent Health Advisor, said.

The winners will receive cash prizes. Their work will also be shown throughout the Region.

The winners are:

First place: Gabriel Quiroga, Chile, Song

Second place: Armando Jael Ledesma, Mexico, Narration

Third place: Jovannah Cristina Peixoto Pereira, Brazil, Poem

15-19 years

First place: Andrea Vianney Sánchez Loza, Mexico, Video

Second place: Bazán Valencia, Peru, Comic

Third place: Sarah Vásquez Acosta, Cuba, Video

20-24 years

First place: Gissell Arteaga, Colombia, Poem

Second place: Roberto Michael Blanco Alvarez, Cuba, Poem