Celebrate The West

WGA is pleased to announce the winners in the third annual Western Governors’ Association 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 19 WGA member states, as well as Guam, were entered in the competition sponsored by the Western Governors’ Association.

Karina Yang of Hamilton High School in Arizona took home First Place ($1,000) for her acrylic painting, The Old and the Young. Hadley Smith of Cheyenne Public Schools in Oklahoma took second place ($500) for their oil painting titled Sammy. Third place ($300) was awarded to Nomingerel Barsbold of Newport High School in Washington for the acrylic painting, The Emerald City. 

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

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

Here are the state winners in the third annual Celebrate the West competition:

• Alaska: Kailey Edenshaw, Ketchikan High School, Rhythm That Runs Through the Beauty of Nature, acrylic paint
• Arizona: Karina Yang, Hamilton High School, The Old and the Young, acrylic paint
• California: Layla Lee Choi, Sunny Hills High School, Breathtaking, oil paint
• Colorado: Kayelynn Montague, Big Sandy High School, The Fondest of Forests, watercolor
• Guam: Michael Fernandez, Simon A. Sanchez High School, New Horizon, acrylic paint
• Hawaii: Elizabeth Hashimoto, Homeschool, Fire Dancer, acrylic paint
• Idaho: Caroline Bass, Renaissance High School, Adrift, charcoal and white chalk
• Kansas: Alexandria Hagerman, Hays High School, Reminiscing, graphite and charcoal
• Montana: Gabe Goll, Belgrade High School, The Field, watercolor
• Nebraska: Anna Currier, Bancroft-Rosalie High School, My Rooster Zeus, colored pencil
• Nevada: Jakob Sprague, Alpine Academy, Abandoned, oil paint
• New Mexico: Autumn McNabb, Academy for Technology and the Classics, Taos Sunsets, oil paint
• North Dakota: Joel Anderson, Tioga High School, Main Street, oil paint
• Oklahoma: Hadley Smith, Cheyenne Public Schools, Sammy, oil paint
• Oregon: Gabriel Schwepler, Homeschool, Rodeo Veteran, graphite pencil
• South Dakota: Brady Umberger, Spearfish High School, In the Distance, acrylic paint
• Texas: Hannah Li, William D. Clements High School, A Cowboy's Spirit, acrylic paint
• Utah: Brynleigh Rosier, Granger High School, Mother Nature's Monuments, acrylic paint
• Washington: Nomingerel Barsbold, Newport High School, The Emerald City, acrylic paint
• Wyoming: Lakin Reichert, Guernsey-Sunrise High School, Respect, colored pencil