Celebrate The West

WGA is pleased to announce the winners in the fourth annual Western Governors’ Foundation Celebrate the West regional art competition, which challenged high school students to create two-dimensional artwork inspired by their state. 

More than 450 works of art from the 17 WGA member states, as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, were entered in the competition sponsored by the Western Governors’ Association.

Julia Pachev of Utah took home first place ($1,250) for their charcoal pencil piece titled Cowboy Dream.

Alexandria Hagerman of Hays High School in Kansas for took home second place ($750) for the graphite and charcoal drawing titled Long Day’s Work.

Third place ($500) was awarded to Michelle Yao of Arizona College Prep Erie in Arizona for the oil painting Snow in the Desert.

You can see all the winning works in the slideshow below, as well as a complete list of state Finalists.

Celebrate the West® is a registered trademark of the Western Governors’ Association.

Here are the state Finalists in the fourth annual Celebrate the West competition:

• Alaska: Megan Kline, South Anchorage High School, Cornelia, acrylic paint
• Arizona: Michelle Yao, Arizona College Prep Erie, Snow in the Desert, oil paint
• California: Hannah Pon, Ruth Asawa School for the Arts, Forward Steps, oil painting
• Colorado: Elisia Fernandez, Harrison High School, Golden Mountains, acrylic paint
• Guam: Jasmine Sun, Academy of Our Lady of Guam, Nature at Bay, oil pastel with colored pencil
• Hawaii: Berkana McDowell, Le Jardin Academy, Ho'omana'o Kauai, hard pastels
• Idaho: Cason Neal, Homeschool, Mountain Beauty, acrylic paint
• Kansas: Alexandria Hagerman, Hays High School, Long Day’s Work, graphite and charcoal
• Montana: Tawnya Thompson, Homeschool, A Treasured Moment, watercolor
• Nevada: Spencer Gabe, Bishop Gorman High School, Heatwave, oil paint
• New Mexico: Mariana Quiroz Fonseca, Cibola High School, Sunrise on the Sandia, acrylic paint
• North Dakota: Rose Soori, Fargo North High School, In the Badlands, acrylic paint
• Northern Mariana Islands: Kelly Ann Sablan Pangelinan, Kagman High School, The Culture in the Island of Saipan, acrylic paint
• Oklahoma: Grace Lee, Freshman Academy Broken Arrow, Green Deserts, acrylic paint
• Oregon: Daelyn Wilson, Oregon Virtual Academy, The Relentless Mountains, oil paint
• South Dakota: Camryn Bird, New Technology High School, The Great Spirit, oil pastel
• Utah: Julia Pachev, Homeschool, Cowboy Dream, charcoal pencil
• Washington: Yaxuan Mao, Issaquah High School, Sunlit, oil paint
• Wyoming: Anne Harder, Homeschool, The Truly Wild West, oil and acrylic paints