The top three winners of this year’s countywide “Justice for All” high school poster contest—in which young artists and designers were asked to help raise awareness of the growing threat of cybercrime—are students at high schools in Gilroy.
The poster contest has been hosted annually for 14 years by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant DA Terry Harman and Gilroy educators announced the top three winners at a May 13 ceremony at the Neon Exchange in downtown Gilroy.
The theme of this year’s contest was cybercrime awareness. In addition to special recognitions for the top three winners—and a total of $3,000 in cash prizes—the event included a display of dozens of posters submitted by students throughout the county for the 2025 contest.
The posters creatively and colorfully depicted the prevalence and dangers of various online threats that have grown in the age of smartphones, including cyberbullying, scams, catfishing, identity theft, fraud and sextortion.
“These posters touch on a growing issue in our community—cybercrime,” Harman said. “By bringing awareness, we hope we can save lives and give information out that people need. Because of (the students’) creativity, we are hoping more people will think before they click.”
The contest’s first place winner was Austin Abero, a senior at Christopher High School, whose poster created a visual “juxtaposition” to illustrate that things and people in cyberspace are not always as benevolent or safe as they seem.
Winning second place was Nataley Ramos, also a senior at Christopher High. Maya Sanchez, a junior at Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy, won third place.
Abero received $1,500 in prize money; Ramos won $1,000; and Sanchez received $500.
The prizes were funded by the DAs asset forfeiture funds, which includes money seized from drug dealers and other criminals, the DAs office said. All non-winning entrants received a Starbucks gift card.
“Times have changed with technology and smartphones. It makes life much easier in everything we have to do in life,” Harman said. “The cost of this convenience is that all of our personal information is on our phone—it makes us more connected to the world, but it also makes us more vulnerable to predators.
“This year, we asked Santa Clara County high school students to help us fight against crimes targeting smartphone users. The three winners went above and beyond the expectations for the contest.”
The annual “Justice For All” poster contest is open to all Santa Clara County high school students. Previous topics have included drug abuse, school shootings and honoring the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
DA Jeff Rosen added, “We need to be aware of the dangers surrounding technology and smartphones. These talented young people are bringing awareness to our community with their artwork, which can help us to save lives. Because of their creativity, more people will ‘think before they click.’”
