CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Office of the Child Advocate is co-sponsoring a “Magnify Voices Expressive Arts” contest for children to highlight the need to improve New Hampshire’s children’s mental health system.

Children in fifth through 12th grades may submit creative expressions of their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Options include a short film up to 2 minutes; an essay or poem up to 1,000 words; or a design in another medium of expression such as a painting, song, or sculpture.

The contest was established in 2019 as the flagship activity during Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month to highlight the need for improvement in New Hampshire’s children’s mental health system.

Artwork will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in the state.

“While children have unique experiences, they need to know that they are not alone. By sharing their stories in creative ways, they can be heard. We are listening,” Moira O’Neill, the state child advocate, said in a statement Thursday.

The deadline for submissions is March 31.