Adams Middle School student Iris Fermin recently took first place in the Peace Poster Contest sponsored by Brentwood Lions Club. She went on to place second at the district level. Alex Hernandez, a student at Excelsior Middle School, placed first in the competition sponsored by the Byron Delta Lions Club and placed third at the district level. The district winner, from Orinda, will advance to the multi-district competition. An international winner will be selected in January.

Also honored at the local level were Brentwood Lions Club second-place winner Suyrh Aryaei, also from Adams, and third-place winner Christina Le from Bristow Middle School. Excelsior Middle School students Venise DiMaggio and Veronica Muha placed second and third, respectively, in the Byron Delta Lions Club-sponsored contest.

Lions Clubs International is sponsoring the program to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere. The posters were judged on originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest’s theme, Children Know Peace.

The local students’ posters were among more than 350,000 entries submitted worldwide in the 24th annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. The international grand prize winner will be awarded $5,000 plus a trip (for the winner and two family members) to the awards ceremony at Lions Day at the United Nations.