2023-24 League for Innovation Student Art and Literary Awards
May 20, 2024
The League for Innovation in the Community College—an international consortium of colleges across the United States and Canada—annually hosts both a student literary contest and a student art competition. As a proud founding member of the League, Seattle Colleges hosts annual local, districtwide competitions from which students advance to the international level, where they compete with peers from the United States and Canada.
Student Art Competition
Jurors from North Seattle, Seattle Central, and South Seattle Colleges convene and select five students to represent Seattle Colleges from the submissions received. The award winners of the local contest receive a cash prize (Best of Show $150, Second Place $100, Third Place $80, Juror's Choice Awards $70) and move on to compete at the international level, hosted this year by Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. Students earning Honorable Mentions at the local level receive a cash prize of $50.
Congratulations to this year’s Seattle Colleges Student Art Competition awardees. The following five students will move on to the international competition to vie for cash prizes of $800, $350, $200, and $100, respectively, a certificate of merit, and publication in the League's Student Art Competition annual journal.
Best in Show
- “Daughter of the Sea” charcoal on paper by Amaya Berger, North Seattle College
Second Place
- “Glamour” charcoal on paper by Madeline Brandt, North Seattle College
Third Place
- “Control” papier mâché, wood, wire, plastic, wooden beads, hot glue by Kristin Mayer, North Seattle College
Juror’s Choice
- “Woe” ink on paper by Vincea Fejeran, Seattle Central College
- “The Weight of Youth” ceramic sculpture by Estelle Muey, South Seattle College
Honorable Mention
- “Hand in Motion” charcoal on paper by Faina Abdrasil, North Seattle College
- “Elevator” oil on canvas by Joseph Bantum, North Seattle College
- “Bananas” stoneware by Justin Gregg, North Seattle College
- “Stretch” digital illustration by Liliana Gutierrez-Pino, North Seattle College
- “El Gallo” collagraph by Michelle Carranza Velasco, North Seattle College
- “Fruity” charcoal on paper by Othello Smith, North Seattle College
- “Still Life no. 3” charcoal on paper by Tamsin Gillie, North Seattle College
View the Artwork
The faculty coordinators and jurors – Philippe Hyojung Kim, Seattle Central College; Emily Gherard, North Seattle College; and Amiko Matsuo, South Seattle College – want to thank everyone who submitted works.
Student Literary Contest
Local award winners receive a certificate suitable for framing and a cash prize ($100 for first place, $50 for honorable mention). Entries awarded first-place at the local level advance to the international contest, this year also hosted by Seattle Colleges. Awards at the international level are $500, $250, and $100, plus a certificate of merit and publication in an anthology booklet.
In the past 15 years, Seattle Colleges has fielded 14 first-place awards at the international level. These achievements are significant considering the level of competition.
Congratulations to this year’s Student Literary Contest awardees. First place awards in Fiction, Essay, Poetry, and Drama move on to the international competition. Two additional categories, Spoken Word and Creative Nonfiction, were open for submission locally only from students attending Seattle Colleges and do not advance first place awardees to the international level.
Fiction
- First Place: “Lopez” by Jules Raymond, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “The Sidewalk” by Kimberly Dunham, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Counting Raindrops” by Naomi Brown, South Seattle College
Essay
- First Place: “Futility” by Crystal Kaya, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Feeding the Beast” by Sylvie Sallquist, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Sailing from Hanoi at Dusk” by Annabelle Vu, Seattle Central College
Poetry
- First Place: “Why Dogs Howl” by Linus Elkins, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Lament of a Fallen Star” by Aija Mattice, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “1/5” by Josie Chevalier, Seattle Central College
Drama
No Award
Spoken Word (local award)
- First Place: “Real Eyes” by Douglas Moon, North Seattle College
Creative Nonfiction (local award)
- First Place: “The Breaking of the Wings” by Caroline Recker, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Fork” by Jules Raymond, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “My Favorite Orange” by Douglas Moon, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Galaxios n Kosmos” by El Molinos, Seattle Central College
Read the Literary Works
The faculty judges – Matthew Hitchman, South Seattle College; Gregory November, North Seattle College; and Jeb Wyman, Seattle Central College – want to thank everyone who submitted entries.
Student Art and Literary Awards Celebration
Members of the Seattle Colleges community are invited to attend the League for Innovation Art and Literary Award Celebration.
League for Innovation Student Art and Literary Awards Celebration
When: Thursday, June 6, 2024 – doors open at 12:30 p.m.; program starts at 1 p.m.
Where: Broadway Performance Hall, Seattle Central College, 1625 Broadway Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
The program will include:
- Presentation of art awards
- Presentation of literary awards
- Literary readings from student awardees
Light refreshments will be served.
All student entrants are encouraged to attend. Guests are welcome.
If you plan to attend, please complete the RSVP form.
For a list of previous award recipients, follow the links below and scroll to the bottom of the page: