San Diego Youth Capture Change: Award-Winning Artists of Voice Out 2025
May 22, 2025
Outside The Lens’s annual Voice Out exhibition once again showcased the extraordinary talents of young creators from across San Diego , with 12 youth artists awarded top three prizes in each category. The 2025 exhibition featured powerful works spanning photography, mixed media, and digital art from youth ages 8-19.
The Voice Out exhibition exemplifies Outside The Lens’ commitment to youth-driven creative expression. A diverse jury of media arts professionals, educators, and community leaders—including Natalia Aguirre, Amanda Dahlgren, and Rich Soublet—selected the winning pieces from submissions across the region.
Beyond showcasing artwork, Voice Out featured a panel discussion with local creatives including Allize Jimenez, Marcie Frausto, and Omar Lopex, who explored art’s role in sparking change and speaking truth. The youth-led exhibition demonstrates OTL’s mission of amplifying young voices and providing platforms for creative expression that can transform both individual lives and communities.
From double exposures capturing sibling bonds to photographs documenting cultural transitions, these emerging artists translate their experiences of transformation into compelling visual narratives. Their work collectively illustrates that creativity serves as a powerful tool for processing change, whether personal milestones, cultural shifts, or environmental challenges. Voice Out 2025 confirms that insightful artistic expression can emerge at any age when young people are given the platform to share their unique perspectives.
Winners Take Home Prizes in Each Category
In the Mixed Media category for ages 8-12, Bayani Lim-Schmid claimed first place with “Grow,” a thoughtful diptych using double exposure techniques. Lim-Schmid’s work explores how children, like young leaves, can grow and thrive with proper nurture, showing his own transformation over two years through striking visual metaphors.
Second place went to Dominic for “Then vs Now,” a digital artwork addressing environmental concerns. Dulay’s piece contrasts a cleaner past with today’s pollution challenges, advocating for environmental action to preserve fresh air and healthy trees for future generations.
In the Photography category for the same age group, Florian Lim-Schmid won first place with “Yin and Yang 阴阳,” a series exploring his relationship with his twin through staged photography and double exposure, illustrating how their bond remains constant despite physical changes over time.
Aiyana Paul earned second place with “My Dad and Me,” a technically impressive analog film photograph that Paul developed herself. Her piece juxtaposes generations, showing both current relationships and the inevitable transformation of youth into adulthood through the powerful image of hands.
The teen Mixed Media category featured Evida Tadeo’s “Unificación Entre la Espada y la Pared,” a deeply personal exploration of immigrant identity. Tadeo’s work examines the complex feelings of being caught between cultures, celebrating Mexican heritage while navigating the challenges of assimilation in America.
Adan Hurtado secured second place with “The Years of Candles,” a meditation on aging and cultural heritage. His piece uses birthday celebrations to symbolize life’s passing, incorporating Mexican cultural elements to honor his grandfather’s influence on his personal development.
In the teen Photography category, Leo Nguyen’s “éclipse lunaire” captured first place with a stunning lunar eclipse study. Nguyen’s work connects childhood fascination with cosmic phenomena to personal growth, suggesting that transformation occurs when circumstances align perfectly.
Austen Baldis took second place with “A Change in Change,” a photograph of pennies washed into a gutter. Baldis’s timely piece responds to the discontinuation of penny production, using the discarded coins as a metaphor for how even small traditions can be swept away by larger cultural shifts.
3rd Prize Winners
Tessa Hamana Mixed Media (Youth Ages 8-12) “Canopy Tree”
Rafael Aguilar Photography (Youth Ages 8-12) “Untitled”
Hernand Parubrub Mixed Media (Teens 13-19) “CHANGE VIEW, EMBRACE YOU”
Emmanuel Paraan Photography (Teens 13-19) “Growing Flowers of Youth”
Congratulations to all the young creatives who participated in Voice Out 2025!