{"id":227359,"date":"2026-05-11T16:34:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/227359\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T16:34:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:34:06","slug":"manhasset-student-wins-congressional-art-contest-with-message-of-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/227359\/","title":{"rendered":"Manhasset student wins congressional art contest with message of peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quiet moment of prayer has become a powerful message about the future of America.<\/p>\n

Xinzi \u201cAyla\u201d Wang, a 10th grader at Manhasset High School, has been named the winner of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for New York\u2019s Third District, hosted by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi. Her piece, \u201cPrayer for Peace,\u201d earned first place among 71 submissions from 34 high schools and will hang in the U.S. Capitol for the next year alongside student works from across the country.<\/p>\n

For Ayla, who moved to the United States from Lanzhou, China, just two years ago, the competition\u2019s theme, America\u2019s 250th anniversary, was both a history lesson and a personal reflection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only about looking back at history, but also looking ahead,\u201d she said. \u201cEspecially for young people, there should be more hope for better education and a better life.\u201d<\/p>\n

That forward-looking vision is at the heart of her painting. A young girl stands in quiet devotion, hands clasped, as doves circle above, symbols of purity, hope and peace. The girl represents the younger generation, Ayla said, while the gesture of prayer expresses a wish for unity in a world marked by conflict and division.<\/p>\n

Ayla completed the piece over the course of a week, first sketching ideas digitally before bringing them to life on canvas. She has studied art for a decade, following in the footsteps of her grandparents, both artists.<\/p>\n

Read More: SCA leader Jenna Rizzo stands alone on Manhasset\u00a0BOE ballot<\/a><\/p>\n

Winning the competition came as a surprise and in a moment that underscored her role navigating two worlds.<\/p>\n

She was on her way to school when her teacher called her mother with the news. Because her mother does not speak English, Ayla translated the call in real time from the passenger seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so excited,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge honor. It makes me want to create more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her art teacher, Lori Oldaker, said Ayla\u2019s work stands out not only for its technical skill but for its perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe goes beyond what\u2019s expected and brings her own personality into her work,\u201d Oldaker said. \u201cThe concept and atmosphere of this piece, and the movement of the doves, really make it special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oldaker said she sees the American spirit as rooted in inclusion, a value she believes is reflected in Ayla\u2019s experience and artwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat should be the spirit that we all help each other and embrace one another\u2019s differences as well as similarities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This summer, Ayla plans to travel to Washington, D.C., with her family to see her artwork on display in the Capitol, turning the achievement into a meaningful trip and joining families across the country in celebrating America\u2019s 250th anniversary together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A quiet moment of prayer has become a powerful message about the future of America. Xinzi \u201cAyla\u201d Wang,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":227360,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-227359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}