Congratulations to our 2025 Student art contest FINALISTS!

We are thrilled to announce the finalists of this year’s Student Art Contest! Your creativity, passion, and dedication to the arts have truly shone through in your exceptional works. Each piece submitted reflected incredible talent and artistic vision, making the selection process both inspiring and challenging.

Without further ado, here are the finalists:

Avani Awasthi, 3rd grade, Belleville

“I love my German shepherd dog, Kiwi. She sends me off every morning on the bus to school, and she waits for me to come home. I love playing with her in our backyard. This is a moment of me washing her. She is soaked with bubbles and water and soap. I am standing behind her, laughing with a towel on my arm. She usually shakes and gets us all wet when we wash her. It is a happy and very funny moment. I wanted to make it like someone is watching us from inside the house. I first glued white paper inside the box. Then I painted our backyard. I used colored pencil to draw Kiwi and I. Then I cut us out and glued us in the yard. I created the yellow bucket and hose on the ground with paper and painted it. I used some plastic beads we have and used them as water. I used pillow stuffing as clouds and bubbles on Kiwi. I taped saran wrap and on the box so it looks like glass. And lastly, hot glue one of my hair ties to the back to hang my art up.”

Henry L’Allier, 3rd grade, Grafton

Happiness is….Art!!! “I love everything about art- being creative, using fun materials, and making people smile with my pictures. I drew this picture because I love art supplies and they make me happy!” -Henry

Aria Eichelkraut, 4th grade, Belleville

I chose to do flowers in the shape of a horse because I love horses, flowers and being outside makes me happy. I created the horse by laying out flowers and gluing them on a piece of paper in the shape of a horse. I love all of the colors and that I chose to do a horse.

Ans Ahtasham, 5th grade, Belleville

There are three people in my art work. Myself and my parents. For me, happiness is being with my parents. This art work means a lot to me because creating it and now just by looking at it makes me feel safe and loved. That’s how I imagine myself with my parents, cuddled up with them as a baby and thoroughly adored. That’s pure happiness.

Elias Kadoch, 5th grade, Tomorrow River

Happiness to me is a flowering field in the country on my grandparents farm. I painted this using oil paints that I got for my birthday.

Isla Kadoch, 7th grade, Tomorrow River

Happiness to me is painting beautiful landscapes, especially landscapes of the country and animals. This landscape shows sheep grazing in the hilly countryside. It reminds me of my parents farm, where we spend a lot of joyful time, with our pet sheep named Billy, who resembles the sheep in my painting.

Amy Ma, 8th grade, Middleton-Cross Plains
Loeymae Lange Memorial “Best in Class” Award Winner

For me, happiness flows like a delicate stream, where vibrant hues of autumn capture the Wood Duck in a warm, serene moment. Each brushstroke echoes the delicacy of amber and golden leaves waltzing in the crisp, clear air. While the undisturbed waters reflect not just the duck itself, but the joy of fleeting moments spent in nature’s soothing breath. The rich colors weave a tapestry of nostalgia, reminding us of the sunny days spent on the beach and peaceful afternoon picnics, where our perception of time slows down and worries fade. This piece of art is a celebration of life’s simple pleasures, capturing the essence of happiness in every detail, inviting us to pause, take a breath, and explore the beauty that surrounds us.

Karissa Schwoerer, 9th grade, Columbus

I have loved elephants my entire life. I draw and paint elephants every chance I get because art and elephants make me so happy. For this project, I used chalk pastels to create a bright and colorful matriarch with butterflies flying nearby because this would be my ultimate happy place. I blended the pastels for subtle color transitions to make a soft and happy effect. This is the biggest drawing I have ever done–it is about 18×24 inches. My hope is the bright colors, butterflies, and of course the elephant will bring joy to people who experience my art as well.

Hadley Wozniak, 10th grade, Stevens Point

Happiness is being with the people I love the most. One of those people is my best friend. We have known each other for six or seven years now and we have always been at the same schools. She is such a kind and funny person and we always bring out the silly side in each other. We love taking goofy selfies and I decided to draw one of the pictures we took together. At first I tried just drawing in pencil, but something about it wasn’t right. I decided to go with colored pencils and it just clicked. I was able to achieve a depth with the colors that wouldn’t be possible with just a single one. The only other material I used was a gel pen for the brightest highlights. This was a drawing I was proud to create and I had so much fun thinking of the happy times we have had. Soon she will be moving to another school and I will be glad to have the memories we made and the drawings I have of them.

Kambelle Syth, 11th grade, Winneconne

This piece embodies what happiness is because it not only showcases the tranquility of a place like Door County, but it also shows the joy that comes from being together. Every year I get to go to Door County with my mom and my sister during the summer, and we always thoroughly enjoy our time together, which is why I’m really glad that this moment was captured and I later got to recreate it through a painting. While creating this piece, I intended to not go for complete realism, which prompted me to edit the original picture to use as a reference image. I first drew out the main shapes, and then I began with the sky and slowly worked my way down using acrylic paint. Both my sister and my mom mean a lot to me, which is why I am very grateful that I was able to recreate the love that was shared through that moment. Door County also holds a special place in my heart, and that is why I think it is fitting to call this painting Door County Bliss because I am in one of my favorite places with some of my favorite people.

Serena Scott, 12th grade, Winneconne

This is an oil pastel stippling of a picture of my friends at a picnic. I look back on this memory very fondly as it includes several of the things that make me happiest: my closest friends, the outdoors, and good food. My friends in particular have always been one of my greatest sources of joy, so I loved being able to make a piece to honor them.

A special thank you to all participants who submitted their art. Your creativity and hard work made this contest a resounding success. We encourage you to continue pursuing your artistic endeavors with the same enthusiasm and passion.