Kiley Shirk, a sixth grader at Central Virginia Christian School, has taken the first step to become an internationally recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the Buckingham County Lions Club.

Kiley is among more than 600,000 entrants worldwide in the 29th annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest, which emphasizes the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.

“I pray that the world will one day be at such peace — a lion and a lamb will lay together,” Kiley wrote, offering a quote describing her inspiration for the poster.

Members of the Buckingham County Lions Club selected the poster for its artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, “A Celebration of Peace.” Judging took place Oct. 27.

Club President Bettie Bass said she was impressed by the expression and creativity of the students at Central Virginia Christian School who participated in the contest.

“It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them. I’m so proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions. Kiley’s poster will advance to face stiff competition through the district, multiple district and international rounds of competition if she is to be declared the international grand prize winner,” Bass said, in a press release.

One grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners will be selected. The grand prize includes $5,000 cash plus a trip for the winner and two family members to an award ceremony. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and $500.

“Our club is cheering for Kiley as her poster advances in the competition, and we hope that her vision will ultimately be shared with others around the world,” Bass said. “We also want to thank the other students at CVCS who entered the local competition.”

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographic areas. In addition to its efforts toward conquering blindness, the club has made a strong commitment to community service and helping youth throughout the world. (View international grand prize and merit award winners at www.lionsclubs.org.)