Organizers of the Visions of Unity art awards in Torrance City said the program is marking its 25th year and that this will be the last year the current organizers run it, and they are seeking a new steward to continue the competition.

An unnamed program staff member said the awards celebrate student voices and creative expression across the city. “What's in the students' heart is what we're hearing in literature, and we're seeing it in their artwork,” the staff member said.

The program, the staff member said, has recognized roughly 1,000 high school students over the decades and has awarded about $150,000 in prize money. “This is the last year for us. We've aged 25 years, and it's time for someone to take it over,” the staff member said.

A student who spoke about participating encouraged peers to submit work and described personal experience with the contest: “I'm winning for poetry. Freshman year, I did a short story. You guys can do it too,” the student said. The student added, “I think that when you're writing, you have this whole blend of colors and diversity and just true emotion that comes out. And so I think that art is super important in today's world.”

The remarks combined a brief overview of the program's history, the organizers' announcement that they are concluding their stewardship, and a student testimonial about the contest's role in encouraging creative work. The transcript does not specify a deadline, contact information, the name of a successor organization, or exact accounting for the stated prize total.

Visions of Unity has been presented in Torrance City for a quarter-century and, according to organizers' remarks, has awarded prizes to hundreds of students each decade. Organizers did not provide further details on how they expect a transition to be arranged or which entities they are approaching to continue the program.