Congressional Art Competition Winners

SALINAS — Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, announced that Makayla Magdaleno, a sophomore at San Benito High School, is the winner of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition: An Artistic Discovery. Her winning piece, “Red Sova,” will be displayed in the halls of the Capitol along with other students’ works from across the country.

“This was my last year hosting the Congressional Art Competition and I continue to be amazed by the works by our local students,” said Rep. Sam Farr. “The arts are an important part of the Central Coast’s identity and it is great to see so many young artists add their passion and talent to that rich tradition.”

Magdaleno will travel to Washington, D.C., courtesy of Southwest Airlines, to be honored at a Congressional reception in June. She also received a $3,000 renewable scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Julia Ramos, a senior at Aptos High School, was named the 2nd place winner with her piece “Seeds.” Her artwork will be prominently displayed in the congressman’s Washington office. Alvarez High School senior Jesus Gil was named the third place winner, with “Blue.” His piece will be displayed in the congressman’s Salinas office.

Maya Yokoyama, Aptos High School; Oscar Gonzalez, North Salinas High School; Isabella Arreola, San Benito High School; Meghan Brandt, Georgiana Bruce Kirby and Trinity Esola, Georgiana Bruce Kirby were all selected as Honorable Mentions.

The annual Congressional Art Competition is open to all local high school students in the 20th congressional district. A total of 21 entries were submitted from seven different Central Coast high schools. Melissa Pickford, Director of the Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, judged the entries.

The Artistic Discovery competition encourages and recognizes the rich artistic talents of young Americans. Students are allowed to submit various styles and types of art, ranging from paintings and drawings to photography and mixed media pieces. The winners are determined using criteria based on originality, skill of execution, excellence in use of materials and conceptual strength of the project.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nation-wide competition.

Last year, Josh Agbayani from Aptos High School, was awarded first place for his entry “Drowning in Beds Unmade.”