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2009 Entries: 1,456

Drawing: 411
Electronic Media: 152
Mixed Media: 249
Painting: 158
Photography: 336
Sculpture: 150

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The Prizes!

Grand Prize: $5,000
Second Place: $2,500
Third Place: $1,500
Fourth Place: $1,000
Fifth Place: $500
6th thru 10th: $250

About the Visual Arts Contest...

The annual Culture Shapers Visual Arts Contest enables student artists to compete for nearly $70,000 in cash prizes in six categories... drawing, painting, electronic media, mixed media, photography and sculpture. The contest takes place in the Fall, and is open to all High School Students in Harris, Waller, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.

Students receive a commemorative t-shirt with their entry fee of $20. Entry forms will be e-mailed to the teacher after online registration, and parents, students or teachers deliver and pickup the entries at the drop-off location.

Each year, the Culture Shapers Volunteer Staff receive about 1,500 entries. Jurying will take place in November. The top ten finalists in each category will be invited to an elegant awards ceremony in December, where the winners will be finally announced before a live audience.

About the Culture Shapers Jurying Process...

Culture Shapers jurors are a combination of educators and professionals, who come highly recommended to us by other notable organizations, such as the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE), as well as others. Many of our jurors have experience both in and out of the classroom, which gives them a unique and valuable perspective on evaluating student artwork. Click here to read more about the Culture Shapers jurying process.

2004 Painting Winners


Grand Prize: $5,000
"I Spy"
Rachel Cunningham
Humble ISD
Kingwood HS
Teacher: Babette Witherspoon
SR


2nd Place: $2,500
"Larry"
Larry Lairson
Klein ISD
Klein HS
Teacher: Dee Burgess
JR


3rd Place: $1,500
"Dissection"
Christian Tria
Klein ISD
Klein Collins HS
Teacher: Randy Rankin
SR


4th Place: $1,000
"Crescendo"
Niloufar Mozafari
Spring Branch ISD
Memorial HS
Teacher: Cathleen May
JR


5th Place: $500
"Portrait of Benoit"
Benoit Vieyra
Alief ISD
Kerr HS
Teacher: Lisa Canorro
JR


6th Place: $100
"Primping"
Rachel Cha
Spring Branch ISD
Memorial HS
Teacher: Cathleen May
SR


7th Place: $100
"Preacher's Daughter"
Ioana Manolache
Spring ISD
Spring HS
Teacher: Susan Sheets
S


8th Place: $100
"Look Into the Future"
Mingqian Xie
Houston ISD
Bellaire HS
Teacher: Mary Rogers
F


9th Place: $100
"Red Peppers"
Dana Helbling
Spring Branch ISD
Stratford HS
Teacher: Jana Stiffel
SR


10th Place: $100
"Hope"
Jiaojun (Annie) Lin
Houston ISD
Bellaire HS
Teacher: Mary Rogers
JR



Honorable Mention (in alphabetic order)


"Colors of Expression"
Yuxiao Du
Pearland ISD
Pearland HS
Teacher: Virginia Olson
JR


"A Craving for Freedom"
Sulkee Kwon
Spring Branch ISD
Spring Woods HS
Teacher: Rafael Castanet
JR


"Flowers Still Life"
Hannah Lou
Katy ISD
Taylor HS (Katy ISD)
Teacher: Nancy Huffman
JR


"Inside Out"
Ella McCrea
Brazosport ISD
Brazoswood High School
Teacher: Connie Middleton
JR


"'Hello, My Name is John...' and then he took his clothes off."
Brittany Royal
Spring Branch ISD
Stratford HS
Teacher: Jana Stiffel
SR


"Self Portrait"
Levi Stovall
Katy ISD
Cinco Ranch HS
Teacher: Ronda Landers
SR


"Fruit Still Life"
Allison Tarics
Spring Branch ISD
Memorial HS
Teacher: Cathleen May
JR


"Mantequilla"
Larry To
Alief ISD
Elsik HS
Teacher: Diane McMahon
SR


"Bottles"
Yvonne Weng
Fort Bend ISD
Clements HS
Teacher: Sally Doyle
JR



About the Jurors...

Sarah Beth Baca - I am a painter with a degree in Art and Marketing from Houston Baptist University. I work in acrylics and oils, and my subject matter is often symbolic and spiritual in nature. My paintings can be seen online at www.starvingart.com

Joe Culotta - Art Teacher for over 30 years. HISD; Art Consultant for HISD Art Department, Program Administrator for HISD, Art Consultant for Sax Arts and Crafts for 10 years. Working Artist exhibiting at the Market in Galveston, TX.

Jeff Farmer - Though I received my degree in Television and Film Production, I've been a Professional Fine Artist for about fifteen years. My specialty is representational oils and acrylics along the lines of the old masters.

Made Possible By...

...and generous donations from folks just like you, who are passionate about supporting high school student artists. We welcome your tax-deductible donation in any amount!

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