Anaconda girl takes third place in Cricket Magazine art contest

Salvador Dali once said, “Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” One local student by the name of Haley Velin can relate. In fact, her unique drawing of a fiery red dragon with long orange wings and a furry catlike face won her an award – third prize in the October 2023 Cricket League art competition.

In each issue, Cricket sponsors a different and unique writing or art competition, with hundreds of entries pouring in each time from enthusiastic Cricket readers all over the world. Winners receive recognition and a certificate, and the best entries are published in the magazine and on its website for children. 

“I really like dragons, and in a dragon book I have there’s something that’s kinda a little like that,” she said, referencing her prize-winning drawing.

Dubbed “The New Yorker for children,” Cricket features the best short stories, poems, and articles by the world’s finest children’s authors and is illustrated by the best artists from here and abroad.

For this contest, each entrant was asked to submit original artwork of a monster. Thirteen-year-old Haley’s category was for ages 11 and up.

Haley’s favorite type of art is drawing, particularly dragons and people with pastels and charcoal. 

“We started reading Cricket and there were all these little contests in the end of every Cricket Magazine. Sometimes it’s writing a short story, poetry, or art,” said Haley’s mom, MaeLynn Velin. 

Haley chose art, and when asked why, her response was honest and direct: “Because I don’t like writing,” she said with a laugh.

“I just think it’s good for people to share their art with other people and this allows her to do that,” MaeLynn said. “To have it looked at by other people who are always judging all these entries of artwork from kids all over the country. So it’s good to kind of get that exposure and she really likes to draw and she’s a talented artist, so I think that this is just the beginning for her.”

Haley’s artwork appears in the Cricket League section of the February 2024 issue and is posted at cricketmagkids.com/contests.

Founded in 1973, Cricket is published by Cricket Media, also publisher of Babybug, the magazine for infants and toddlers ages 6 months to 3 years, Ladybug for children ages 3 to 6, Spider for ages 6 to 9, the nonfiction magazines Click, Ask, and Muse, and the Cobblestone line of history and world culture magazines for young people.