• It would have been my greatest achievement if I hadn’t been so proud. I had stayed up to the early morning, sweating with the brush in my hand to finish the painting I’d been working on for the last three months. My excitement and drive to finish and enter in the city’s art contest caused a ripple of great beauty to heighten the hues of red, pink and orange in my sunset, cloudy sky. No other scene at dusk could compare to this handsome imagery, I thought.

    The contest theme was the heavens. My confidence and joy at the complements I’d received while standing next to my work during the judging had made me certain that I would attain that shinny blue ribbon. I snuck looks at it while the judge scribbled words on his clipboard. Other contestants came by and gawked. I stood with my nose in the air, absorbing their praise like a drug and hungering for more.

    Without saying anything, he must have been too amazed, the judge jotted one more note and left. I peeked around to picture. Pink and orange clouds decorated the red background, while an eagle, the only subject, soared with its great grey and brown wings in the foreground.

    When the ceremony ended and it was time to announce the winners, I stood next to the stage, ready to race up and get my ribbon. I didn’t win. I watched as another girl, with her picture of the transparent night sky under her arm, received my prize. Furious, I left the competition, leaving my artwork behind.

    It was only later that I’d heard my painting received a special reward for great color usage. I had not placed my name on the canvas. The award and my painting remained out of my grasp because I had been too proud to show good sportsmanship and admit defeat.