Hello friends,

I would like to extend a huge thank you from myself and the honored judges to everyone who submitted their artworks to the Ponytail 5th Anniversary Art Contest. We had such a blast reviewing all of the works, and all of the judges found it very tough to choose the winning contestants. You all brought such wonderful perspective to the meaning of 'goodness' and we were all enriched with such beautiful insight.

A big congratulations to our winner Kristiana Maya from Indonesia who took the cake with the most votes by our judges. Her untitled artwork blew us away with her carefully thought out needlework piece, no doubt laboriously stitched with love and care. I would like to share her own project called Needlework Studios in Central Java, where they rework vintage items, as well as hold workshops for the public. Goodness indeed.

Kristiana Maya, 'Untitled', cloth and thread, 2018.

I would also like to make a special mention to our second place winner Aura (a.k.a 'auracherrybag' or Sasipan Siriporn) who created a mix media artwork titled, 'The power of the flavours', based on memories of friends and flavours experienced whilst she was living abroad.

"I believe there is a connection between food and people" says Aura, "it is a surprising way to introduce people to new cultures".

Aura, 'The power of the flavours', Part One, mixed media 2018.

Aura, 'The power of the flavours', Part Two, mixed media 2018.

Finally a big shout out to our third place winner, Anna Weber from Germany who created digital collage works titled 'The Denim Heads'. Her cheeky artwork was inspired by her dayjob working in the denim industry,

"As I work for a denim brand, I realized how many clothes are being thrown away every day due to today‘s consumer society and its ever-changing trends. This means that clothes are, for many people, worthless. To counteract this, I try to add value to garments through my art which conveys the message ‘ before you attempt to throw away your clothes or other things, just think about whether you can use it in any other efficient way’. I use these clothes to make art." - Anna

Anna Weber, 'The Denim Heads', one of three, digital image, 2018.

Anna Weber, 'The Denim Heads', two of three, digital image, 2018.

Anna Weber, 'The Denim Heads', three of three, digital image, 2018.

I would like to extend my thanks to the judges involved, Yumiko Sakuma, Eric Kvatek, Kiro Hirata, and Nigel Cabourn, for their expertise and continued love for Ponytail Journal. We all had a blast thanks to you all!

• Lauren