Southwest Health located at 1400 Eastside Rd, Platteville, WI 53818 medical clinic providing urgent care and other medical services
Southwest Health located at 1400 Eastside Rd, Platteville, WI 53818 medical clinic providing urgent care and other medical services
Talking about Mental Health in the “Say It Out Loud” Art Contest


One in four adults have experienced mental illness, and one in 10 children lives with a mental or emotional disorder. According to Mental Health America, even before COVID-19, mental illness and suicide rates were on the rise. Despite growing rates of mental illness, there’s still a stigma around mental health, resulting in people facing discrimination, feeling shame, and believing they must suffer in silence.

Southwest Health has provided mental health services since 1998. Southwest Health Behavioral Services (SBS) of Platteville, the behavioral health department of Southwest Health, is working to break the silence in their Say It Out Loud campaign to dispel the stigma and connect people with the help they need.

The Say It Out Loud theme is a research-based slogan, dispelling the common misperceptions about mental illness and creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue. “The best way to chase old myths away is to share experiences. Mental health issues are very real and can happen to absolutely anyone. The right help can truly change lives. Each time any of us is courageous enough to share our stories through our art or other ways, we make our communities a little stronger.” says Behavioral Health Administrative Director Jennifer Barraza.

Say It Out Loud is an annual art competition open to the public during May, National Mental Health Month. Artwork is accepted from April 1 through May 29, and entries will be featured in Southwest Health facilities throughout the year to raise awareness.

ENTRY GUIDELINES

– The competition theme, Say It Out Loud, must appear in the work.

– Participants must live in Grant, Iowa, or Lafayette County.

– We will have one 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each age category: 0-14 years of age, and

ages 15 and up. Winners will receive a gift basket or cash prizes.

– Accepted art media includes posters (pencil, oil, pastel, canvas, computer-generated, or other medium), original photography, sculpture, video, short essay, or poetry. AI generated art will not be accepted. You must submit and drop off original artwork. Photos of completed artwork will not be accepted. Violent and graphic images will not be displayed for public viewing.

– Entry form and artwork deadline is May 29, 2026, at 4:30 pm, delivered to Southwest Health Behavioral Services (SBS) at 1450 Eastside Road in Platteville, Wisconsin.

– Entry forms can be picked up at SBS in Platteville at the above address, and online

– All art will be retained and used by Southwest Health and not returned to the artist.

CONTEST JUDGING

All entries will go through a two-step process: 1) Internal committee judging will narrow entries in each age category; then 2) Public voting on first round selections will take place during the second and third weeks of June in the Southwest Health Bistro. Winners from the public voting will be announced at the end of June. Winning artwork and selected entries may be displayed in the SBS lobby gallery, or selected for the Say It Out Loud art exhibit with Rountree Gallery, at the Platteville Public Library in the fall.

For more details about the Say It Out Loud Art Contest and to download the entry forms, people can visit: southwesthealth.org/say-it-out-loud-art-contest/