Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Mayor’s Memorial Day Poster Contest!

By Nathan Serota
March 14, 2025
City News, DPR News

Winning posters skillfully crafted by (from left to right, top to bottom): Kalia Chow, Chloe Yu, Mia Manuguid, and Ros Haleyah Mari Asuncion Ganot.

This year the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation received 44 entries, with 13 keiki receiving accolades in their respective grade levels, including:

Kindergarten – 2nd grade	3^rd – 5^th grade	6^th – 8^th grade	9^th – 12^th grade
1^st – Kalia Chow	1^st – Mia Manuguid	1^st – Chloe Yu	1^st – Ros Haleyah Mari Asuncion Ganot
	2^nd – Alanna Dinsdale	2^nd – Maya Butts	2^nd– Kayley Yu
	3^rd – Avery Nakanishi	3^rd– Abigail Uyesato	3^rd – Ashley Yu
Honorable Mentions	Camryn Idio	Lavalea Andrews	Julie Kang

This excellent artwork will be featured on Memorial Day publications, posted within Kapolei Hale, and is currently posted on DPR’s dedicated Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony website www8.honolulu.gov/dpr/mayors-memorial-day/

The top three winners from each of the age categories will receive a prize package with art supplies during award ceremonies with the Honolulu City Council, Councilmember Andria Tupola, and Mayor Rick Blangiardi on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at Honolulu Hale.

Mahalo to all of the keiki artists, their ‘ohana, art teachers, and participating schools for taking part in this annual tradition. Special thanks to Hōkūlani, Hanalani, ‘Ewa Makai Middle, and Kailua Intermediate schools for their significant support and contributions to this contest.

More details concerning the 74th Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony, and how the public can view this time-honored event, will be announced later. In anticipation of the ceremony, DPR is beginning our statewide initiative to sew and gather 38,000 lei to adorn each grave at Pūowaina for the ceremony in a uniquely Hawaiian display of gratitude. The majority of the lei-sewing events on O‘ahu will begin the morning of Friday, May 23. The location and specific times for those opportunities are also posted on DPR’s dedicated Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony website www8.honolulu.gov/dpr/mayors-memorial-day/

Following WWII, Pūowaina was designated the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific with the first Memorial Day Ceremony held within the crater in 1949. That humble ceremony inspired the City to make the solemn commitment of placing a fresh lei on every grave within Pūowaina for a Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony. Unfortunately, since that time the number of graves has increased to the nearly 38,000 service members whose final resting place resides within the memorial cemetery; making the creation and placement of the lei a kākou, community effort.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email parks@honolulu.gov at least three business days before the scheduled event. Without sufficient advanced notice, it may not be possible to fulfill requests.