HIGH SCHOOL POSTER CONTEST

This past spring, WELS and ELS high school artists were invited to express their creativity and learn about WELS mission work by creating an 11” x 17” masterpiece capturing the heart of WELS Home and World Missions.

2026 poster contest winner

Joseph (Yuen) Liu – Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Mich.
St. Paul, Saginaw, Mich.

“Before I started this piece, I had a lot of ideas. Eventually, I decided to portray Jesus’ face with the earth and the WELS logo in his eye. One day I was in religion class, and we talked about how God sees everything and cares about everything. That gave me the image of Jesus, before he dies on the cross, seeing the world in his eyes. That became my work.

This artwork was made using soft and hard pencils and colored pencils. The technique is old-fashioned sketching and erasing.

Every time I worked on this piece of art, I kept reminding myself that the eye had to be the focal point. My message is simple: when Jesus died on the cross, he died for the world, and he sees what he is dying for. He knew every single country before it existed and every single person before they existed, and God loves them all. Yet there are still so many countries in this world that have not received the good news of Jesus. God knew long before WELS even existed that he would use WELS to spread the gospel to the world.

I hope everyone who sees this work knows that God saw you long before you existed, and he loves you. It doesn’t matter whether you consider mission work or not; he has a plan for you, and he died to save you so you can spend eternal life in heaven with him. I believe this message is worth passing on to friends you care about, loved ones, and even strangers.

I would like to thank all my friends who provided ideas and encouragement for this artwork.”

All posters were displayed at Taste of Missions on June 13 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., where attendees could vote for their Fan Favorite. Congratulations to both Lauren Pralle and Natalie Leach who tied as the Fan Favorite winners!

Natalie Leach – Luther High School, Onalaska, Wis.
St. Paul, Onalaska, Wis.

“My artwork is a watercolor painting based on the Japanese sumi-e art style. The faintly stroked cross in front of the red sun indicates that God’s Word is present in Japan. Footprints on the mountain illustrate the missionaries who have boldly traveled. The birds represent the burdened souls set free by the gospel. God’s servants have carried the message far, just as Jesus commanded his disciples in Acts 1:8. May it continue to spread throughout Japan and the entire world, that all may be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Lauren Pralle – Luther High School, Onalaska, Wis.
St. Paul, Onalaska, Wis.

“This poster was mainly inspired by my love for sharing the gospel with everyone. We have many places in the world where we still need to shine the light of the gospel on all people.”

Thank you to all the students who learned about WELS Home and World Missions! We received 16 incredible posters this year and we loved seeing how students used their God-given gifts to highlight mission work. A big thank you as well to the teachers, parents, and peers who encouraged participation.

This annual contest returns each spring—stay tuned for how your students can take part next year.