League for Innovation Student Art Competition
Annual Contest Accepting Submissions through Tuesday, April 9, 2023
Each year, the League for Innovation in the Community College invites students from member colleges to participate in the annual Student Art Awards Competition. Now in its 38th year, the competition provides an opportunity for students at League board colleges to compete with their peers across North America and showcases a selection of the best works being created by today’s community college students.
The local competition takes place within Seattle Colleges, including North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and South Seattle College. Local-level cash prize awards include:
- Best of Show: $150
- Second Place: $100
- Third Place: $80
- Juror's Choice Awards (2): $70
- Honorable Mentions (7): $50
First, second, and third place as well as juror's choice awardees from the local district-level competition advance to compete at the international level, this year hosted by Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. International-level prizes include a merit certificate, publication in a high-gloss literary anthology, and cash prizes:
- Best of Show: $800
- Second Place: $350
- Third Place: $200
- Juror’s Choice (3): $100
Eligibility
Students currently enrolled in for-credit art classes at Seattle Colleges are eligible to enter the competition. Entries must be original works of art created during the student's enrollment in the 2023-24 academic year. (Dual enrollment high school, early college, and noncredit students are not eligible to participate.)
Submission Guidelines
- All types of art media are eligible, including 3D work.
- Selected artists may submit 1 digital image for 2D work and 2 digital images for 3D work.
- Specifications on file sizes and types for all media uploads:
- Image: JPEG or JPG, under 5MB with a minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side.
- Audio: AIFF, WAV, XMF, MP3, under 10MB with a minimum bit rate of 96.
- Video: 3PG, WMV, AVI, MOV, ASF, MPG, MP4, M2T, MKV, M2TS, under 100MB with a minimum resolution of 640 x 480; minimum 12 fps.
- Submissions selected to advance to the international competition are drawn from each student’s portfolio of digital images housed on the CaFÉ online submission manager. Specific file names will not be visible to the jurors or to the International Award Coordinator. Only students’ names and artwork titles will appear in CaFÉ.
Competition Entry Information
- Entries must be submitted by the extended deadline: Tuesday, April 9, 2024, by 11:59 p.m.
- Complete the official entry form in its entirety and sign the form.
- The entry form requires a short (50 words or less) written statement regarding the submitted artwork. The statement may address the submitted work, or it may be a more general artist statement. All statements will be published in the Student Art Awards catalog. Proofread your statement prior to submission to your Local Award Coordinator.
- Submit your completed and signed entry form with digital files of your artwork to your college's Local Award Coordinator (listed below). All images must be clear, properly exposed, and set at the required resolution.
Local Award Jurors and Coordinators
- North Seattle College – Emily Gherard, emily.gherard@seattlecolleges.edu
- Seattle Central College – Philippe Hyojung Kim, hyojung.kim@seattlecolleges.edu
- South Seattle College – Amiko Matsuo, amiko.matsuo@seattlecolleges.edu
Local Submission Deadline:
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
by 11:59 p.m.
Seattle Colleges is a member of the League for Innovation in the Community College, in recognition of its record of innovation and leadership. Membership provides an opportunity for students to compete with their peers locally and across the continent in annual Literary and Arts competitions.
Recent Award Recipients
Student Art Competition
Jurors from North Seattle, Seattle Central, and South Seattle Colleges convene and select five students to represent the Seattle Colleges District 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, Honorable Mentions $50) and advance to compete at the international level, hosted this year by Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. Winners at the international level receive cash prizes of $800, $350, $200, and $100, respectively, a certificate of merit, and publication in the League's Student Art Competition journal.
Congratulations to the 2023-2024 Student Art Competition awardees. The following five students will advance to the international competition.
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 machè, 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
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.
2023-24 League for Innovation Student Art and Literary Awards
Student Art Competition
Jurors from North Seattle, Seattle Central, and South Seattle Colleges convene and select five students to represent the Seattle Colleges District 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, Honorable Mentions $50) and move on to compete at the international level, hosted this year by Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. Winners at the international level receive cash prizes of $800, $350, $200, and $100, respectively, a certificate of merit, and publication in the League's Student Art Competition journal.
Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Student Art Competition awardees. The following five students move on to the international competition.
Best in Show
- “Toolbox” oil on canvas by Monica Salazar, North Seattle College
Second Place
- “Adorned” acrylic on canvas by Deycha Robinson, Seattle Central College
Third Place
- “El árbol de la vida (Tree of life)” ceramics (clay and acrylic) by Anai Velazquez, South Seattle College
Juror’s Choice
- “Ebb and Flow” earthenware and glaze by Beaux Ward-Steinman, North Seattle College
- “With Papou” monotype by Chole Rotenberg, North Seattle College
Honorable Mention
- “Moral Intentions of the Unwell” acrylic on canvas by Ian Crist, Seattle Central College
- “My girlfriend and I” oil on canvas by Crystal Byrd, Seattle Central College
- “essence” Adobe Photoshop, Canon 90D by Liliana Gutierrez-Pino, North Seattle College
- “Self Portrait” oil on canvas by Jalynn Guzman, North Seattle College
- “Knowledge Factory” linoleum block print, ink on paper by Sally Hoy, North Seattle College
- “The Invitation” charcoal on paper by Kelsey Long, North Seattle College
- “Nesting Vase” ceramics by Elliot Palmer, North Seattle College
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.
2022-23 League for Innovation Student Art Competition and Student Literary Contest Awards
Student Art Competition
Each year, jurors from North Seattle, Seattle Central, and South Seattle Colleges convene and select five students to represent Seattle Colleges. 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, Honorable Mentions $50) and move on to compete at the international level, hosted this year by Dallas College in Dallas, Texas. Winners at the international level receive cash prizes of $800, $350, $200, and $100, respectively, a certificate of merit, and publication in the League's Student Art Competition journal.
Congratulations to this year’s Student Art Competition awardees. The following five students will move on to the international competition.
Best in Show
- “Wash Up” cast plaster hand, Ivory bar soap, and electrical wire by Emma Saltzberg, North Seattle College
Second Place
- “The Silent Guardians” digital illustration by Duong Cam Vu (Kamy Vu), Seattle Central College
Third Place
- “I Rise” acrylic on canvas by Aistė Rye Manfredini, Seattle Central College
Juror’s Choice
- “Scovare Ring” brass, sterling silver, black onyx by Francesca Andreis, North Seattle College
- “Representation” charcoal on paper by Noelle Branstetter, North Seattle College
Honorable Mention
- “Parallel Faces” ceramics by Claire Awe, North Seattle College
- “Hatching” sculpt-a -mold, fiber, painting, branches, plaster by Ping Lei, North Seattle College
- “Punk’n” color pencil on paper by Mulch Morwell, Seattle Central College
- “Alice in Wonderland” digital collage by Tracy Nestor, South Seattle College
- “Self-Portrait” oil on canvas paper by Laura C. Newton, North Seattle College
- “Do what you love” black pastels, charcoal pencil, vine, white conte by Aleksandra Stankiewicz, North Seattle College
- “Earshot Jazz” digital collage by Nat Zhang, South Seattle College
The faculty coordinators and jurors, Philippe Hyojung Kim, Seattle Central College; Emily Gherard, North Seattle College; and Thomas Everett Green, South Seattle College, want to thank all students who submitted works.
2021-22 League for Innovation Student Literary Contest and Student Art Competition Award Winners
Seattle Colleges Students Earn Awards at International Art and Literary Contests
Student Art Competition
Each year, jurors from North Seattle, Seattle Central, and South Seattle Colleges convene and select five students to represent the Seattle Colleges District. The winners of the local contest receive a cash prize (Best of Show $150, Second Place $100, Third Place $80, Juror's Choice Awards $70, Honorable Mentions $50) and move on to compete at the international level, hosted this year by Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Winners at the international level receive cash prizes of $800, $350, $200, and $100, respectively, a certificate of merit, and publication in the League's Student Art Competition journal.
Congratulations to this year’s Student Art Competition winners.
- Best in Show – “Life in Quarantine” video by Binghui Zhang, South Seattle College
- Second Place – “I Love (Me)” sculpture by Nora Suárez, North Seattle College
- Third Place – “Whispers from the Past” digital media by Nathanial Almanza, South Seattle College
- Juror’s Choice – “Dissociation” acrylic painting by Chris Jameson, North Seattle College
- Juror’s Choice – “The Key to Success is Failure” digital illustration by Giang Le, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “My Happy Place” digital photography by April Hong, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Asian Marketplace” oil painting by Jerrald Morales, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Bored” digital illustration by Adrianna Chagdes, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Lorna’s Belongings” oil painting by Maria Ordal, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Fighting for Freedom” charcoal on paper by Quan Wang, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Exploring Peace in with Chaos” collage by Maxine Chaney, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Cyclical” jewelry by Cas Alexander, North Seattle College
The faculty coordinators and jurors – Philippe Hyojung Kim, Seattle Central College; Emily Gherard, North Seattle College; and Thomas Everett Green, South Seattle College – want to thank everyone who submitted works.
2020-21 League for Innovation Student Literary Contest and Student Art Competition Winners