And the winners of the Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF Greeting Card Contest are...

Congratulations to Kristen and Mitali—the Grand prize and the Fan’s Choice winners of the 2012 Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF Greeting Card Contest! A beloved annual tradition—each fall children from all over the United States are invited to submit their original artwork for an official UNICEF Holiday Greeting Card. The winning design is reproduced as a holiday greeting card available through Pier 1 Imports  stores nationwide with 100% of the proceeds going towards helping  children in need in 150 countries around the world.

 The winning designs for this year were selected from among thousands of entries.  The two young artists explained their inspiration for the 2012 theme Peace on Earth as " The reason I drew the children around the tree was to show that children from all  different backgrounds can come together  and create peace during the wonderful season of Christmas" wrote  Kristen.  And Mitali wrote about her inspiration as "The design I created for "Peace on Earth" is a dove with 196 flags inside of it. A dove is a worldwide symbol of peace, and instead of drawing the world, I chose to depict it using the flags." As Grand prize winner Kristen will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and her school will receive $500 worth of art supplies. Also her design will be available as an official UNICEF Holiday Card in Pier 1 Imports stores.  Mitali as winner of the Fan's Choice will receive $500 worth of art supplies. Congratulations again to Kristen and Mitali and a big thank you to all the young artists who sent in their entries to help support children around the world.