A new challenge by state and local public health experts aims to empower the Rio Grande Valley's youth to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

UT School of Public Health is taking a step away from the sciences and into the arts to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

They've started a contest — calling for art submissions from children in grades K-12 — targeting other kids around the state.

Dr. Andrew Springer, an associate professor at UTHealth School of Public Health, says one statistic makes participation in the Valley imperative.

"CDC has reported that Hispanic children have an eight fold increase of risk of hospitalizations," said Springer.

He says demographics coupled with new data from South Korea show children are just as likely as adults to spread COVID-19 reflects in our case clusters.

For information on how children can enter the contest, visit UTHealth's website.

Watch the video for the full story.