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The holiday season has come and gone, and 2022 has now arrived.

As an exciting way to begin the new year, my office will be hosting an art contest for third- through eighth-grade students across the 21st District.

Interested students can submit drawings, paintings, or any type of artwork they wish. I encourage artists to get creative and submit their rendition of what Michigan means to them — whether it is landmarks, history, memories made or anything else that represents what makes Michigan special to them.

The contest begins on Monday, Jan. 10 and ends on Friday, Feb. 11. Entries should be submitted by email to SenKLasata@senate.michigan.gov or by U.S. mail to Sen. Kim LaSata, P.O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909. Participants should include their name, school, hometown, grade, and parents’ names and contact information.

The chosen winner will have their piece displayed in my Capitol office in Lansing and on my Facebook page.

Please email or call my office at (517) 373-6960 with any questions about the contest.

I’d like to wish participants the best of luck! We have some tremendous talent in southwest Michigan, and I look forward to seeing the creative entries from some of the region’s aspiring artists!

Sen. Kim LaSata, R-Coloma, represents the 21st state Senate District, which includes all of Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties.