Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A middle schooler from New Bedford has beat out thousands of submissions from around the world to have his artwork displayed on Team Brazil’s bus for the FIFA World Cup.
Leo Silveria won a contest held by FIFA and Hyundai that asked children to create a special art piece for their favorite team.
Silveria who was born in Brazil and attends Nativity Preparatory School recounted the excitement he felt when he learned his drawing had been crowned the winner.
“I just woke up and my mom went to my room, she told me I had won and my family [and I] celebrated,” said Silveria.
The sixth grader said that the drawing took him a week to complete.
The winning artwork by Silveria Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
“It’s pretty simple, it’s a guy holding a banner saying ‘VAMOS BRASIL’, which translates to ‘let’s go Brazil’ and he’s [wearing] the Brazil shirt and around him are kids from all around the world,” said Silveria.
Not only will Silveria’s artwork be displayed for all to see but he also will receive tickets to see a World Cup game.
“I got two tickets to a game with Brazil and a plane ride to the state where it will be played and a hotel for four days,” said Silveria.
The two tickets are for Brazil’s match against Morocco on June 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford,N.J..
The 12-year old’s art teacher, Aleisea Guzman, said that she’s incredibly proud of her student.
“He has a great interest in art, he’s an amazing soccer player so combining those two is just an incredible opportunity for him,” said Guzman. “I try to teach them that art is not just about technical skills but communicating a message and I think he did that really well with this artwork,” she added.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.