2026 Nominees
Sorted alphabetically by student name.
Raw (Acrylic paint and colored pencil)
This art piece comes from a vulnerable space within me. It displays the pain I went through when struggling with eating disorders throughout my life, and how alone and disgusted I felt. I named this piece “Raw” because of how sensitive this topic is for me. I did not want to sugar coat what the pain was like for me, and wanted to showcase the emotions I would go through during such a difficult time in my life. I want people to know they are not alone and it is ok to struggle. This art work was my biggest yet. I usually stay within my comfort zone, but decided to try my hardest for a piece so meaningful to me.
Nostalgia (Oil paint)
This piece began as a small sketchbook painting for my AP Language class, where we were assigned to paint an impactful emotion after studying Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart. I repainted it on a larger scale for this nomination entry. Nostalgia is about the ache of realizing time has passed. My hand tracing over my childhood drawing becomes an act of yearning to be that carefree again, following lines made by my younger self who didn’t know how much life would change. My fingers cover over the eyes of little me as if to shield her from the world and protect her innocence. As if to keep her safe forever.
Perspective (Graphite)
I used Perspective to practice photo-realism and cross-hatch shading. A culmination of flowers was used to surround the main subjects of the drawing, the eye and mouth. Each flower has its symbolism and different meaning, just as each person does. The mouth could be seen as yelling, smiling, eating, etc., while the eye could seem scared, interested, happy, or other emotions as well. You can’t tell when they’re isolated, so it’s up to interpretation.
Elegance (Acrylic paint)
I wanted to make this piece in order to show the personality of a character I had created myself. I wanted to push myself in making a more detailed painting of my character instead of just a sketch on paper and I ultimately achieved that goal. I am pretty proud of myself for being able to do it and I want to continue to challenge myself to create more.
Revision (Acrylic and thread)
Through this piece I wanted to represent the beauty standards of today’s society and expectations of how we “should” change ourselves. The thread stitched into the canvas shows how we all revise ourselves to fit a picture of “perfection” in the morning before school, work, etc.. The red thread on the figure’s face represents the red pen used to revise papers, how we as a society try to change what is already permanent and beautiful. The figure staring back at the reflection in the mirror depicts a state of vulnerability that is cohesive with feelings of discomfort by not conforming to the beauty standards relevant today. This piece reveals how unfortunate it is to cover up how beautiful each and every person is with a standard that society has deemed attractive.
The Vanishing Point (Sharpie and ink)
I made this piece because it explores repetition, perspective and the feeling of being watched. The eyes placed on the lockers throughout the hallway symbolize, awareness, judgment, or anxiety. The vanishing point represents graduation and the unknown future ahead. This piece connects to me because of the anxiety I have moving forward in life, something i’m moving toward, whether i feel ready or not.
Metamorphosis (Oil paint)
For my art pieces, I decided to oil paint two different lisianthus flowers in different phases of their life. One portrayed as a feeble and young flower who hasn’t bloomed into its color yet. And the other flower, who is matured into a brilliant bright pink. The process was a challenging one but enjoyable, getting to work with such a beautiful and new style with vast color contrast.
Carton of my Garden (Clay)
The most important thing I learned while doing this artwork was even if the idea seems difficult, you can try your best and it may come out just how you imagined it. The element I like best about this work of art is the color scheme and flower, because it was difficult to do, especially not all at once. When people view my art, I hope they notice the depth of detail and effort I put into each side and the small designs, because that is what I’m most proud of.
A Symphony of Style (Acrylic markers)
My intention for this artwork is the fashion and difference of people’s creativity through things like clothing, color, and designs. I want to show that it doesn’t matter what you add to your work, as long as you enjoy it and add your own spark to it that makes you happy you shouldn’t second guess it and just go with the flow.
Scatter-brained (Pen and ink, collage)
This piece addresses the invisible struggles with ADHD. A trait of ADHD, task avoidance, makes daily tasks seem much more difficult than they really are, and inhibits the ability to perform them. Cleaning my room has always been a struggle for me, because it seems like such a daunting task. Even though it looks from the outside that I choose not to do it out of laziness, it’s truly a mental struggle to convince myself to do the task.
Oaxacan Gorilla Animal Sculpture (Clay animal sculpture)
This sculpture is a fun Oaxacan Gorilla created using a sturdy tape and paper base covered with clay. It is designed as a sculpture in the round, meant to be viewed from all sides. I added appendages like legs, arms, and the head using clay slip to attach them securely. The best clay stage for joining parts is when it is wet, plastic, or leather hard. This process allowed me to build a strong and detailed three-dimensional artwork.
Do it for Her (Multimedia)
“Do it for Her” is a piece composed of artwork I created during my childhood, alongside a painting that represents myself then and now. The piece reflects the role art has played in shaping my identity and grounding me through change. I know that if I ever feel lost in life, I can turn to art and find myself again. This work serves as both a thank you to my younger self and to art itself. While it may appear that I create art for her, I have come to realize that she is doing it for me.
Releasing Emotions (Mixed media)
This piece I did to show that its okay to let your thoughts and feelings show on the outside instead of just holding everything in. During the making of this piece I was struggling to find out exactly who I was and if it’s okay for me to show who I really was. All the messy ness shows the unfiltered version of me.
Dreamscape of My Becoming (Acrylic on canvas)
This painting is a quiet act of manifestation for me – a love letter to the life I hope to grow into. There was a time when imagining a future felt impossible due to mental illness…when simply being here felt uncertain, and imagining a future for myself even more so. Creating this piece became a therapy practice in allowing myself to see beyond survival and into possibility, by embracing that what I want is a hopeful reality and not just a distant wish. Living life, although difficult in the moment, is beautiful with imperfections and worth going through for the outcome of it all.
Without an inspiration photo to guide me, I had to trust my own heart, sensitive and often overwhelmed by the weight of the world. Many say I feel too deeply, and maybe that’s true, for I’m wearing flowers in my hair while the world seems to burn around me. But, I’m learning that my full heart is a power, not a weakness, in this world. This landscape is what my heart looks like: soft, romantic, hopeful…even when the world feels cruel and crushing.
The winding path in the painting forms a subtle peace sign, symbolizing my search for inner calm and a gentler future. This painting holds what I am learning to believe: that beauty, love, and peace can still exist in the Dreamscape of My Becoming.
Untitled (Graphite)
As an artist, I enjoy portraits and working with graphite, charcoal, and paints. Creating this piece pushed me to grow my technical skills in several different ways, and I enjoyed the challenge!
The One's Unspoken (Acrylic painting)
This piece that I’m presenting is about me and my family.during my time theses past years haven’t been my best because of death.My family is my whole life and theme leaving me so quickly just hurts me.so I made this piece to represent how my I feel about theses acts that have happened.
She Blooms in Pieces (Ceramic)
This ceramic piece represents the journey of self-discovery. The open book with the page is ready to turn symbolizes a new chapter in life, which is a moment of transition. On the book is the face of a girl formed by puzzle pieces. The parts are not complete, representing that she had not yet fully found herself. Each piece reflects on her past, her experiences, her family, her values, her personality, and the interests that shape who she is. The blooming lilies on her neck symbolize growth, renewal, and inner change. Though she is still unfinished, she is blooming.
Eternal Companions (Visual arts-painting)
This painting is a tribute to my furry companions–my two cats and my dog who now watch over me in heaven. My painting represents that no matter what they will always be watching over me from heaven even if they aren’t right with me.
Damocles (Oil paint)
This piece is an oil painting of a statue that has several offerings on its pedestal and around the background. All of my friends added an object that held some significance to them, and generally this piece is about remembering that even in difficult times, you are still loved.
Field of Eternity (Digital art)
“Field of Eternity” is representative of the character shown’s story, and their experience with immortality and magic. Each of the flowers picked to be shown(being amaranth, ferns, queen annes lace, rain lillies, and spider lillies) have some sort of meaning that relates to them and those themes.
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