Young Artist Brynn Erb Wins Peace Poster Competition with Inspiring Message

A lifelong artist, 13-year-old Brynn Erb loves to share her talents freely—making art free of charge for friends and family who request it. And now, Brynn—an eighth-grader at Challenger K-8 in Spring Hill—has gifted the entire community with her vision of Peace Without Limits.

Brynn is the 2024 winner of the Spring Hill Nature Coast Lions Foundation’s Peace Poster Competition, a division of the Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest. Her radiant watercolor was completed in accordance with the contest theme, Peace Without Limits. “I painted a dove, the symbol of peace, being released from shackles to fly to everyone,” she said. “That’s truly what I believe—that peace should be for everyone.”

The Peace Poster Contest student showcase took place at the Spring Hill Branch of the Hernando County Public Library and was funded by a Community Arts Grant from the Hernando County Fine Arts Council. The council’s own Isaiah Haddon judged the contest entries.

“I distinctly remember seeing Brynn’s piece for the first time and being amazed by its composition. I kept feeling the need to go back and admire it again—probably four times in total,” said Haddon. “Some artwork just has that kind of impact. The message and the delicate colors filled me with hope. Along with the other pieces that brought joy and self-reflection, this exhibit beautifully showcased the promise of a future focused on peace. Brynn is going to continue to do brilliant work, I am sure of that!”

The award, Brynn’s first, signifies the culmination of a lifelong interest in art. “I have been making doodles since I was five or six,” she said. And I’ve always entered every art contest I could find—not because I wanted to win, but because I saw every contest as a chance to make art and to improve on my art.”

Jennifer Radtke, her art teacher at Challenger K-8, informed her and her classmates about the Lions Peace Poster Contest. “She’s an amazing teacher,” said Brynn. She encourages our creativity and guides us to do our best.”

The poster contest was the latest artistic challenge for Brynn, who loves to create art for others and favors painting and sketching in equal measure. “Friends and family might ask me to sketch their favorite character,” she said. “I made some decorations for my dad’s office and an album cover for my brother.”

In creating her winning poster work, Brynn wanted to bequeath her next artistic gift—a watercolor finished with a white gel pen—to the entire community. “Peace should be accessible to all,” she said. “I wanted to spread that positive message.”

Winners of the “Peace Without Limits” poster contest are:
First place: Brynn Erb–CK8
Second place: Emilie Garcell-Gonzalez–CK8
Third place: Kyria Taimy Santos–Powell Middle School
Honorable mentions:
Danyka Stolec
Amelia Tait
Kennedy Snell
Nora Doyle
Izabella Budden
Hillary Tran
Briana Arias Vasquez
Kendelle Peters

These stunning and thoughtful artistic visions were on full display via an exhibit of artwork at the Spring Hill Branch Library as part of the Lions Club’s International Peace Poster Contest May 21 – 23 at the library, 9220 Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill.

The winning poster will go to the next level of judging—Central Florida district (11 counties)—in the fall. Last year’s Hernando county winner, Melanie Gonzalez from Challenger K8 also won that district contest-1st place. The winning poster is judged based on three criteria: originality, artistic merit, and expression of the theme “Peace Without Limits.”

As she returns to school this fall, Brynn plans to continue her artistic pursuits and eventually become an FBI sketch artist. “I always want to use my art to help.”