NC Azalea Festival children’s art contest winners
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The 2016 North Carolina Azalea Festival Children’s Art Contest has been judged.
Organizers said the winners were selected from almost 900 entries submitted from 26 public, private, charter, and home elementary and middle schools as well as one afterschool art program.
The first place entry for the Elementary School category, titled “Southern Girls,” is a vibrant sunset-inspired watercolor and color-pencil 3-D piece drawn by Elajandra Torres, a 4th-grade student at Carolina Beach Elementary School. Torres said her inspiration for her art contest entry came from the sunsets in the area.
“From the beautiful Wilmington sunsets and from the beautiful belles and azaleas seen here in the springtime,” Torres said.
The first place entry for the Middle School category, titled “In Bloom,” is an exquisite watercolor depiction of a Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Belle stationed in her garden of azaleas. The winning artist is multi-talented 7th grader Audrey Mase from Roland-Grise Middle School, under art teacher Jennifer Capps.
“I love the similarities between the beautiful azalea blossoms and the dresses and parasols of the beautiful azalea belles,” Mase said.
The 2016 North Carolina Azalea Festival Children’s Art Contest is now in its seventh year. With the prompt, “Which traditions of the North Carolina Azalea Festival mean the most to you?” students in Kindergarten thru 8th grade had until January 15, 2016 to illustrate their creativity and submit their artwork.
Contest co-chairpersons Stephanie Kraybill and Miss Greater Wilmington 2010 Brooklyne Williamson assisted the contest judging panel, which included the 2016 North Carolina Azalea Festival Official Artist Mary Ellen Golden. They were amazed and inspired by the incredible talent they saw in the youth artwork.
A summary of winners for the 2016 North Carolina Azalea Festival Children’s Art contest is as follows:
Elementary School Division
1st place
Elajandra Torres, 4th grade, Carolina Beach Elementary
“Southern Girl”
2nd place
Marjorie Garcia Velasquez, 2nd grade, Mary C. Williams Elementary
“Singing Azalea”
3rd place
Marea Bradley, 4th grade, Carolina Beach Elementary
“All the Belles”
Honorable Mention
Aiyanna Age, 3rd grade, Rachel Freeman School of Engineering
Middle School Division
1st place
Audrey Mase, 7th grade, Roland-Grise
“In Bloom”
3rd place
Symaji Rainey, 7th grade, DC Virgo Preparatory Academy
“The Battleship Azalea”
Honorable Mention
Natalie Ramos, DC Virgo Preparatory Academy
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