The Warren County Lions Club recognized a group of young artists Tuesday night.

Veronica Presley, an 8th-grade student at Eastside Elementary, took home first place on the local level of the Lions International Peace Poster contest. Lions International sponsors the program each year, emphasizing the importance of world peace to young people everywhere. Over 600,000 entries are submitted worldwide each year.

According to lionsclubs.org, the contest has been sponsored for over three decades. Students ages 11-13 are eligible to enter, and this year’s local participants were encouraged to enter by elementary school art teacher Jennifer Woods.

“Creating peace posters gives children everywhere the chance to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity,” the site reads.

Presley’s poster, which features a peace symbol surrounded by flags of multiple nations, a dove, hearts and flower petals, advanced to the district level, where it will be judged and potentially move on to national and international competition.

Parker Nunley, a 7th-grader at Centertown, was this year’s second-place finisher, and Ivy Kester, a 6th-grader at Eastside, took home third.