Organization received 14,904 entries from 125 countries and 48 states for the 23rd annual event celebrating acceptance and respect
Embracing Our Differences’ 2026 international outdoor art exhibition will kick off with a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, within Sarasota’s Bayfront Park, the nonprofit has announced.
This free event will feature performances by the RhythmTrail Steel Drum Band, while local arts and education organizations, including ALSO Youth, Fabulous Arts Foundation, Florida Studio Theatre, Girls Inc., Harvest House, EOD Coexistence Clubs, the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College + Art, Sarasota Youth Opera, The Ringling Museum, and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall “will have booths with interactive, family-friendly activities,” a news release points out.
Further, the “Big Blue Grilled Cheese Company, Carousel’s Soft Serve Icery of Sarasota and The Empanada Girl trucks will be stationed at the event, the release notes.
Embracing Our Differences (EOD) leaders also will recognize the 2026 Best-in-Show winners and many of the other artists and writers who had their works selected for display, the release adds.
“Sarah Wertheimer, president & CEO of Embracing Our Differences, says that that this year’s response to the call for artwork and inspirational quotations was strong, with 14,904 entries pouring in from 125 countries and 48 states,” the release also notes. “Students from 574 schools around the world submitted artwork or quotations to the juried exhibition,” the release continues.
“Awards for artwork are given for Best-in-Show Adult, Best-in-Show Student, and People’s Choice — categories, with the last chosen by visitors to the exhibition,” the release adds. “Adult art winners each receive $2,000; students receive $2,000, which they split with their school’s art program,” the release continues.
Awards also are given for inspirational quotations,” the release adds. Again, adult quotation winners each receive $2,000, while students receive $2,000, which they split with their school’s Language Arts programs.”
“To see all the works in the 2026 exhibition, visit the online gallery at www.embracingourdifferences.org,” the release says.
The following are the winners of the awards for the 2026 exhibition:
- Best-in-Show Adult Artwork — Istanbul-based artist Eda Uzunoğlu for The Power of Love.
- Best-in-Show Student Artwork — Equal Booths by Siwon Jung, an 11th-grade student at Seoul Scholars International Art & Design in Seoul, in the Republic of Korea.
- Best-in-Show Adult Quotation — “Kindness is the language we all understand, even when our stories are written in different alphabets,” submitted by Yuliya Mitskevich of Warsaw, Poland.
- Best-in-Show Student Quotation — “Dulling someone else’s pencil will not make yours any sharper,” by Ingrid Cushman, a 10th-grade student at Pine View School in Osprey. Her teacher is Christopher Pauling.
“While EOD is best known for its annual art exhibitions, its educational initiatives continue all year long,” the release points out. “These include professional development opportunities for educators, reading days, unity days, and other learning programs and events,” it adds.
Since 2004, more than 694,000 students have participated in Embracing Our Differences, including 51,674 students and 2,156 teachers during the 2024-2025 school year alone, the release notes.