Fremont 9th Grader Wins Bookmark Contest

Roujia Guo, a ninth-grader at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, won first place in the high school division of the Coretta Bookmark Design Contest. (fremontunified.org) Fremont Unified School District posted the result on April 7, 2026, and said Guo’s design finished first out of more than 2,000 submissions. The district said her artwork “stood out as the best.” (fremontunified.org) The win also brings a school prize: Mission San Jose High School’s library will receive a $500 JLG backlist credit. Guo’s artwork will also be professionally printed as bookmarks for the school. (fremontunified.org) The contest result landed as Alameda County libraries were running their annual Día programming in April 2026, tying books, art and youth participation together across the county. Alameda County Library said Día celebrates Children’s Day and Book Day and highlights cultures, languages and families. (aclibrary.org) Alameda County Library also opened its 2026 Día Bookmark Contest on April 1 and said entries run through May 1, with three winning designs set to appear in the library’s next bookmark giveaway. The contest is open to kids and teens under 18. (aclibrary.org) That gives Guo’s award a local backdrop: Fremont students are entering a spring season when libraries and schools are both using bookmark contests to connect reading with visual art. Fremont Main Library is also scheduled to host a Día Storytime on April 28 and a bookmark craft event on April 25. (aclibrary.org) Fremont Unified has folded the result into its districtwide “In the News” roundup, where Guo’s award appears alongside other student and school recognitions from the past year. For Mission San Jose High School, the immediate next step is simpler: students will soon be able to hold the winning design in their hands. (fremontunified.org)