What We See When We Look

On April 2, 2026, Spark a Spectrum lit up 84 centers across 32 countries. The art, dance, and celebrity competitions were among the elements that connected every center and every country that day.

This year's theme honored Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, known as Kanye, a sixteen-year-old non-verbal autistic Nigerian artist who holds two Guinness World Records. In March and early April 2026, Kanye cycled cross-country from Enugu to Lagos, finishing his ride on April 2 itself, World Autism Awareness Day. We asked young artists everywhere to draw him on his bicycle, using that image to show what hope, possibility, and journey look like to them.

Approximately fifty artists answered the call. Their work arrived from Bauchi, Jigawa, Lagos, Houston, Adamawa, Owerri, Kogi, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Abuja, Sokoto, and Oyo.

Yasir Hassan, age 5, Abuja, Nigeria. "Autism is Ability."

The youngest artist

Yasir is the youngest artist in the competition. The world he drew has rainbow roads and smiling suns, and we will not tell him that other people see the world differently. We will look more carefully at the world ourselves.

From Houston to the world

Five students from two Houston high schools entered the competition this year, bringing their work to a global stage alongside artists in Nigeria. From Clear Lake High School, Geber, Jamie, and Javier each interpreted the brief in their own way. From a second high school nearby, Abigail and Isaac added their pieces to the gallery. Their artwork made the journey from Houston to the global gallery the same week that artists in Nigeria were submitting theirs, joining hands with peers across the Atlantic.

A young woman, a vision

University of Ibadan

Adeoye Oluwajuwonlo Janet

Age 28, Oyo, Nigeria

Janet titled her piece Kanye Riding His Bike, The Spectrum Lens. She wrote about her work in her own words, and we share them here in full because they say something we could not say better:

"The artwork captures the determined gaze of Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke. Rather than looking at the physical obstacles of his cross-country biking, instead, through his eyes and within his lenses is a home of support through community, love through all strengths and weaknesses, neurodevelopmental difference, and a spectrum of colours, all shades of awesomeness. While Kanye pedals from Enugu to Lagos, an entire nation geared towards humanity also rides with him."

A whole class showed up

From a single classroom in Dutse, Jigawa State, thirteen young artists submitted work. Each of them drew Kanye on his bicycle. Each of them gave the work their own title. Among them are Aisha Abdulrahman ("When given the space, nothing is impossible"), Ahmad Khamisu ("To create awareness on Autism"), Aliyu Suleiman ("Every child should be given the space to become"), and Salim Mustapha Aminu ("A child with Autism should be a welcome member of our community"). The teacher gathered all their submissions and uploaded them so each student could enter the international competition. We do not know whether they will win, but we know they showed up, all thirteen of them, with their bicycles and their words.

Rukayya Muhammad, 13

David Ogbe, 9

A young artist from Dutse

From a single hospital

From ADSACA Specialist Hospital in Adamawa State came a remarkable cluster of pencil sketches, each one a portrait of detailed shading and quiet attention. Faith Musa, age 21, drew a young boy riding his bicycle, brought to life with careful detailing. Anthony Timothy, age 17, presented his work as four sequential slides, each revealing a stage of his developing pencil sketch. God'swill Illiya, age 17, contributed a detailed portrait. Peace Vandi, age 19, captured what she described as the symbolism of freedom in her sketch. From Oron in Akwa Ibom State, Blessed Christopher Ating, age 23, joined them with his own depiction of Kanye on his bicycle, expanding the cluster of pencil artistry across Nigerian states.

Blessed Christopher Ating, age 23, Oron, Akwa Ibom. Kanye Riding His Bike.

A medical student made time

From Sokoto

Abdulsalam

Medical Student, in his twenties, Sokoto, Nigeria

Abdulsalam is a medical student in Sokoto, in the middle of his exam season. He chose to draw because he believes in inclusion. In a difficult season, when most students have to study hard to pass demanding medical exams, Abdulsalam allocated time to draw for a boy he had never met.

A family of three

From the same family in Bauchi came three submissions. Abubakar Tahir, age 8. Hassan Tahir, age 10. Fatima A baba, age 15. Three siblings, three drawings, three different ways of seeing the same theme. Their entries arrived together, and we picture them at a table in Bauchi, working side by side.

The community, the artists, the new generation, this is our hope.

Spectrum of possibilities

From Lagos, Koko Faruk Adedamola, age 25, sent a charcoal piece with one striking touch of blue pastel. He titled it Spectrum of Possibilities. The composition is monochromatic, except for a large hand-lettered flag held aloft by a crowd along the road. The flag reads spectrum of possibilities. The cyclist rides toward the viewer down a road that recedes to the horizon, with the National Stadium rising in the background. It is Kanye's ride, drawn in charcoal, with the title of our event written into the artwork itself. We could not have asked for a more fitting image of what this year was about.

Many more voices

The artists we have featured here are only some of the people who entered. Musa Sambo, age 11, sent his work from Bauchi. From Joyful Place in Owerri, three young artists, Zion Nnadiekwe, Awesome, and Fortune, drew Kanye in support of every child on the spectrum. Mbah Ogochukwu Agnes, age 20, contributed her detailed drawings from Enugu. Shaun Wilson, age 16, submitted a piece titled I want to be a record breaker. Karen Kingsley Ita, age 14, sent her work from Oron with the title Different is not less. Samuel Agbo, age 8, contributed his drawing from Enugu, calling it autistic boy breaking boundaries.

Karen Kingsley Ita, 14

Mbah Ogochukwu, 20

Samuel Agbo, 8

Awesome, 9

Zion Nnadiekwe, 9

Fortune, 13

Each of them gave their time, their attention, and their hope to this competition. Each of them deserves to be seen.

How winners are decided

Spark a Spectrum celebrates abilities. It is a stage where autistic individuals and their communities are seen and celebrated. The artists in this competition are supporting inclusion. They are showing us through art. Siblings, classmates, friends, students, professionals, diagnosis does not matter. It is what we see when we look.

The prizes

Winners in each category will receive prizes that recognize the work, the courage, and the contribution. Every artist who participated will receive a Certificate of Appreciation in honor of their entry to Spark a Spectrum 2026.

The Celebrity Photo Challenge, which ran from March 2 to April 2, 2026, has already been concluded. We are happy to recognize Jonas Happiness Sarki and Happiness Center in Bauchi, Nigeria, who won that challenge with 151 points and will receive a laptop for their team lead, along with certificates for the entire team. Our congratulations to them.

An invitation, and a thank you

To every artist who entered, thank you. To every parent, teacher, sibling, and coordinator who helped a young artist photograph their work and submit it, thank you.

To everyone who has not yet seen this work, please come look. The voting page goes live Sunday. Each artwork is shown alongside the artist's first name, age category, and country. Spend a few minutes, and share your thoughts.

We have the power to choose what is worth our attention, lift people up, and make a positive change. We choose art, love, and inclusion. We hope you will, too.