The top awards and finalists have been announced for the “Power of the Word” Art Contest & Exhibition sponsored by K is for Kids Foundation for middle school students in Collier County. The inaugural competition offered ‘tweens and teens a unique way to visually express the power of words and the importance of reading. Students from Manatee Middle School and North Naples Middle School captured the top awards out of a field of 142 entrants. Edgard Puentes, a seventh grader at Manatee Middle School, won the contest’s Best of Show by a decisive lead while the second, third and fourth placers overall had scores separated by just one or two points. Local artists Muffy Clark Gill, Brenda Tucker, Miriam Horgan and Tyler Clevett served as judges.
“All the competitors are to be congratulated for the quality of their work which was always inspiring and often provocative,” said Karen Clawson, K is for Kids founder and executive director. “I was thankful not to have to choose the finalists – through my eyes, the students were all winners.”
Twenty-eight “Power of the Word” finalists will have their artwork displayed at the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Art Gallery, located at 3319 Tamiami Trail East in the 2nd floor lobby of the Administrative Offices, Building J, from April 21st through June 1st. The exhibition’s opening night reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, April 21st from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. with the awards ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m. Local authors Jenny Craig, Robert Dean Bair and Maureen Sullivan-Hartung will also be on hand to give signed copies of their books to some of the top finishers.
Awards, rosettes and ribbons will be presented at the reception and the top winners will also receive one of a number of popular prizes, including free summer art classes at the von Liebig Art Center, Earth & Fire gift certificates, free tickets to Silverspot Cinema, Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, and King Richard’s Fun Park; free hairstyling services from by Salon C International, dinner for two at Chili’s, art prints by Brenda Tucker and art canvases by Muffy Clark Gill.
“This is many of the students’ first art competition,” noted Clawson. “Much appreciation goes to the teachers who encouraged their students to enter, the sponsors who gave so generously to reward the young artists’ efforts, and to the Collier County Public School District and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for their close collaboration in creating this exciting opportunity for middle school students to illustrate that readers are leaders in whichever field they choose to compete.”
Click here to see the complete list of twenty-nine finalists. [Note: There will be 28 artworks on exhibition.]
KisforKids_PR_ArtContest_AwardsAndTop29Finalists_RankedByAwards_Apr1511_pdf