TORONTO — More than 150 winners of Canadian Friends of Herzog Hospital’s latest awareness campaign, the Windows to the World – Kids Helping Kids – children’s art competition, were honoured at a recent awards ceremony.

Some 700 people from across Canada attended the ceremony held at LeParc Conference and Banquet Centre in Concord, Ont., on Jan. 27.

About 13,000 children and teens, aged four to 19, submitted artwork for the competition from schools and camps in nine provinces and the Yukon Territories. Some of the art was submitted independently.

A panel of seven judges, including well-known Canadian artists, selected 177 winners from the submissions, based on the artist’s age, use of colour, composition, artistic skill, message and creative design. The winning entries came from Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Ontario – and even one came from a Canadian citizen living in Romania.

One of the 25 grand prize winners was Li-elle Rapaport, a Grade 8 student at Associated Hebrew Schools’ Danilack Middle School in Toronto. She won with a picture based on the theme “dazzling dream.” The 25 grand prize-winning pictures will be displayed in the children’s respiratory unit of the Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem.

 “When I found out the art was for a children’s respiratory wing, I thought of bubbles filled with good air, full of hope  and colour and happy things,” Li-elle said. “Each bubble, like each child, is unique. I hope my bubbles will make the children happy.”

Rhonda Wolfond, the project development director for the initiative, “partnered the Woodbridge Art School & Gallery with the Canadian Friends of Herzog Hospital.

“The initiative was structured to introduce charitable and community values to children and to demonstrate to them that, through participation, they can make a difference to the global community,” she said.

 Noa Daniel, a teacher at Leo Baeck Day School’s north campus, said she introduced the program to his school “because it was a natural fit, a wonderful program for a great cause. Besides building bridges, we were building a community and comfort for children in need through artistic expression.”

Seven posters were created from the winning submissions. In addition, there were 14 Platinum Honour Awards and two educational scholarships to the Woodbridge Art School. In addition, the judges selected one picture from each poster for the categories Best Message (also won by Li-elle) Best Creative Design, Best Use of Colour, Special Effects Award and Artistic Skill Award.

The winning pictures that are not going to the hospital will be displayed in seniors homes, schools, shelters, medical offices, banks and public venues across Canada.

The awards ceremony included a silent auction with an opportunity to purchase the winning posters. Guests who wished to view the award ceremony and winning art as a keepsake could purchase a video produced by Richard Saunders and Raisyl Mandel of Redstone Pictures, who were also recipients of an award for philanthropy.

Student interns developed and implemented the awareness campaign. “Once it started to grow, it exploded,” said intern Jenna Himelfarb.

 Upon completion of Herzog Hospital’s new respiratory unit in 2013 – to be housed in the Samson Medical Pavilion, which is currently under construction – international youth ambassador Madeleine Venn-Mitchell, along with Himelfarb, will go to Israel with the winning pictures.

 “Thanks to the Windows to the World initiative, beautiful artwork will decorate each room in the new children’s respiratory unit,” said Dr. Yehezkel Caine, director general of the Herzog Hospital.

For a list of the winning artists, go to www.woodbridgeartschool.com.