By Tyler Ellyson, editor, UNK News
KEARNEY, Neb. – The University of Nebraska at Kearney is recognizing eight students selected as winners of the annual Nebraska Emerging Writers and Artists Contest.
In its sixth year, the competition encourages high schoolers from across the state to showcase their creativity by submitting essays, poems, short stories and artwork using a specific theme as inspiration. This year’s theme was “Nebraska’s Land, Nature and Memories.”
More than 160 entries were submitted, with winners selected by UNK undergraduate students through a blind review process. The first-place winner in each writing category receives a $500 scholarship from the UNK Department of English and second place is awarded a $200 scholarship. First- and second-place entries in the art category will receive $100 and $50 in art supplies, respectively.
All winners are invited to present their work April 10 during UNK’s Student Language and Literature Conference. Winning art entries will be displayed in the Fine Arts Building and Thomas Hall that week.
The contest is co-sponsored by UNK’s American Democracy Project, English Department and Art and Design Department, along with the Art Society, Sigma Tau Delta honor society and Phi Eta Sigma honor society.
Nebraska Emerging Writers and Artists Contest Winners
ESSAY
First: Arabella Durr, Parkview Christian – “What an Honor to Spend it with You”
Second: Caleb Black, Exeter-Milligan-Friend – “An Encounter with the Sublime”
SHORT STORY
First: Madeline Wallace, Omaha Marian High School – “Kara's Walk”
Second: Ian Crockett, Creighton Public Schools – “Nayeli: One with Nebraskan Nature”
POETRY
First: Abigail Just, Millard South High School – “The Good ‘Ole Red, White, and Blue”
Second: Kylie Kumpf, Hemingford High School – “Her Song”
ART
First: Jesus Rocha, Gibbon High School – “Buffalo Bloom”
Artist’s Statement: “Takashi Murakami’s art style has always inspired me. I decided to let his style influence my artwork of a bison, Nebraska’s symbol for the native prairie. Using bright colors and bold shapes, I made the bison into something new, expressive, and bold. Merging this Pop Art style with a traditional Nebraska symbol, this piece of art projects strength and confidence.”
Second: Addie Gibbons, Ansley High School – “Haliaeetus leucocephalus”
Artist’s Statement: “This is a hot glue sculpture of a bald eagle. The bald eagle saw significant population decline due to DDT pesticides causing it to be listed on the endangered species list. Nebraska had zero nesting pairs in 1990. That number is estimated to be over 300 pairs today.”