Where Do You Go When Life Throws You a Curveball?
Share a Photo Showing How You #PictureYourPeace, and You Could Win $1,000!
Showcase your photo storytelling skills and inspire others with the quiet moments and places that bring you peace. We invite you to photograph the scenic trails, cozy reading nooks, or picturesque water views that help you relax and decompress.
Here's How to Enter:
- Upload Your Photo and Caption Below
- Share your photo and caption on Instagram using #PictureYourPeace
- Enter your #PictureYourPeace submission by Aug. 31, 2025
- Watch our website to vote for your favorite submission from Sept. 3-14, 2025
- #PictureYourPeace winner to be announced on Sept. 16, 2025
Disclaimer: Limit of one submission per individual. Contest winner to be determined by public vote. By submitting your photo to the Picture Your Peace photo contest, you agree to the Mental Health Hotline privacy policy and disclaimer. Contest details available at Mentalhealthhotline.org/PictureYourPeace
- All fields on the application form must be submitted.
- While standard photo editing is allowed, images must not be created, generated, or altered using AI tools.
- In the spirit of a fair playing field, we are requesting a limit of one application per individual.
- All qualified applicants are given equal consideration and are assessed strictly based on the quality, originality and creativity of their photo and caption.
- It is at the sole discretion of our team to select the photo we feel is most deserving of this award. By applying for the Picture Your Peace photo contest, you agree to Mental Health Hotline’s privacy policy and disclaimer.
Mental Health Hotline does not discriminate on any basis, whether by age, race, sex, religion, disability status or sexual orientation. All qualified applicants are given equal consideration and are assessed strictly based on the strength of their application and essay. It is at the sole discretion of our team to select the dog we feel is most deserving of this award. By applying for the Picture Your Peace award, you agree to Mental Health Hotline’s privacy policy and disclaimer.
I consent to allowing Mental Health Hotline to use my photos and content submission for marketing purposes
The Importance of Rest for Mental Health
A little peace can be hard to come by, but we all know what it’s not:
- Your heart races as you weave through traffic, nervously glancing at the time and the angry driver in your windshield mirror: just another frenetic morning commute.
- Your tummy tightens with butterflies when that neighbor down the street cusses at you for walking by, and later you feel nauseous and your head hurts.
- With all those to do’s, your mind momentarily gets stuck trying to remember the name of your son’s prom date: Is it Clare, Kate … or Greta Garbo?
Stress happens to all of us, and its unchecked accumulation can manifest as a wide range of mental, physical, and emotional symptoms.
Rest: A Human Need, But What Is It?
A corollary of this six-letter reality, “STRESS,” is our fundamental human need for rest. But what is rest? Rest is pausing. It’s downtime, relaxation, doing nothing, recovery. Rest is hitting the “reset” button.
Some of us find it easier to rest than others, which is why we’ve created this campaign. “Picture your peace” is an invitation to share your source of peace with others. This campaign is also a self-care challenge to find your place of rest if you don’t yet have one. This is an opportunity to ask yourself where you go to decompress or unplug, and why.
Research into the Mental Health Importance of Rest and Peace
Why is a space to decompress and a place to unplug so critically important for our mental health? Research has found that rest reduces stress and cortisol levels, thereby mitigating the negative health effects of stress and decreasing one’s chances of anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric issues. Taking a breather and a break can also improve sleep, mood, attention, and cognitive performance.
“Rest” can look different, depending on the individual, which is why we’ve designed this campaign. When you picture your peace and share it with the rest of us, you’ll be helping all of us better imagine what rest can look like and how to find it. “Picture your peace” is a beautiful kaleidoscope of the many-splendored ways that rest is possible, in a stressed-out world that could use a little more peace.