John Yadon, a student at Stanton College Preparatory School, won the grand prize for his work entitled The Course in the annual Congressional Art Competition held at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens.
“This is our largest and perhaps best competition yet,” said U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. “The works are representative of our region’s talented youth and the diversity of our school districts.”
Crenshaw said the winning artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the next 12 months where it can be enjoyed by lawmakers, staff and hundreds of visitors who tour the Capitol daily.
Yadon won a trip to Washington, D.C., and a $3,000 scholarship for the Savannah College of Art and Design. Yadon’s teacher, Joi Hosker, will receive a $500 donation from the Amelia Island Plantation for her classroom.
The Rotary Club of Jacksonville sponsored Saturday’s judging competition. Volunteer judges for the second year in a row were Larry Davis from Florida Community College, Jacksonville and Louise Freshman-Brown, representing the University of North Florida.
The Congressional Art Competition is an annual contest for high school students all over the nation to cultivate and showcase their artistic abilities. It is up to each member of Congress to organize a local competition in his or her congressional district. Every student who entered this year’s competition was awarded a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.
The top five honorable mentions were Over the Years by Devon Shaughnessy of Stanton College Preparatory; Untitled by Stacy Smith of Douglas Anderson High School; Branch’s Peppermint Candy by Meredith Burlage of Columbia High School; Pears x 2 by Jonathon Foster of Fernandina Beach High School; and Psychedelic Trees by Julie Bender, also of Fernandina Beach High School.