11-Year-Old Williamsburg Boy Is Finalist in PETA’s ‘Cutest Vegan Kids’ Contest

Tech-Savvy Tween Creates Computer Games to Help Animals

For Immediate Release:
April 8, 2016

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Eleven-year-old Williamsburg resident Christian Phillips has just been named one of the top four male finalists in PETA Kids’ 2016 Cutest Vegan Kids contest—and now it’s up to voters to help PETA Kids decide whether he’ll take home the top prize. Two winners—one boy and one girl—will each receive a trophy, an animal-friendly prize pack, and a year’s worth of bragging rights.

Christian says he’s vegan because “he loves animals” and “wants to help them in any way he can.” A gifted student who started reading at 2 years old and aced a college math class at 7, Christian went vegan with his family four years ago after they took a philosophy class together and learned about animal rights.

In addition to attending protests with his dad and handing out supermarket coupons for Gardein vegan products as part of the national Meatless Monday campaign, Christian has a unique way of advocating for animals: He and his friends from the online computer-game community Scratch create animal rights–themed games. The tech-savvy fifth-grader even made a digital animation about “the vegan revolution” with animals crooning “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Misérables.

“Christian Phillips channels his brilliance, energy, and big heart into effectively advocating for animals,” says PETA Senior Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg. “PETA Kids views all the contestants as winners because they prove that even the littlest person can make a big difference for animals.”

PETA Kids—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that more people are drawn to the benefits of vegan meals every year, including better health, a smaller carbon footprint, and saving the lives of more than 100 animals per vegan annually.

Voting on the finalists to help PETA Kids decide whom it should choose as the winners runs until April 15, with the two winners announced on April 18. The decision will be based on several factors, including vote count. See the full contest details here and the main contest page at PETAKids.com/CutestVegan.