Youth Voices Take Center Stage at Sights and Sounds Festival
March 28, 2026 in Events
Greek American Heritage Society of Philadelphia introduces a youth essay contest focused on identity, faith, and community
Before any awards were announced, the focus of this year’s Sights and Sounds Festival was already clear in the young people who took part. The weekend-long event at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington, Delaware, brought together GOYA youth from across the Delaware Valley to share their talents in faith, art, writing, and photography.
On the opening night of judging, the Greek American Heritage Society of Philadelphia introduced its Youth Heritage Essay Contest. Vice President Chris Kotsakis helped oversee the process alongside organizers and volunteers. The submissions offered personal reflections on Greek American identity, Orthodox faith, and parish life, inviting students to connect their own experiences to questions of identity, faith, and community.
By Saturday, quiet concentration had given way to celebration. The church filled with music and applause as youth performed and accepted awards, while hallways lined with photography, artwork, and crafts became a gallery of their work.
During the afternoon program, Board Member Agnoula Marcantonis invited all essay participants to the stage and thanked them for their effort, noting that 13 essays had been submitted from parishes across the region.
Although only three were recognized, Marcantonis reminded students, “Every family has a story, and you do too.”
Together, the submissions reflected how younger generations are thinking about faith, family, and identity within the Greek American experience.
The winners were:
1st Place: Gabriella Bourantas, 12th grade, St. George Cathedral
2nd Place: Adriana Buonamici, 11th grade, St. Thomas (Cherry Hill)
3rd Place: Yiorgos Kozak, 11th grade, St. George (Asbury Park)
That same focus on personal perspective carried into the festival’s photography component.
Serving as judge for the photography competition, Cosmos Philly photographer Eleftherios Kostans reviewed images depicting parish life, Orthodox traditions, and everyday moments through the eyes of GOYA youth. His feedback focused on storytelling and composition, while encouraging students to present their work publicly.
“As photographers, we do more than take pictures,” Kostans said. “We preserve moments that might otherwise be forgotten, and those images become part of the memory of our families, our parishes, and our community.”
For organizers, the event was less about competition than about connection. It gave young people a chance to see how their faith and heritage shape their lives, and how those stories continue, one voice at a time.
Featured image: Yiorgos Kozak, an 11th grader from St. George in Asbury Park, receives third place in the essay contest during the Sights and Sounds Festival. Image courtesy of Stelios.
This article was originally published by Cosmos Philly.
