2025-26 League for Innovation Student Art and Literary Awards
May 21, 2026
The League for Innovation in the Community College—an international consortium of colleges across the United States and Canada—annually hosts both a student literary contest and a student art competition. As a proud founding member of the League, Seattle Colleges hosts annual local, districtwide competitions from which students advance to the international level, where they compete with peers from the United States and Canada.
Student Art Competition
Congratulations to this year’s Seattle Colleges Student Art Competition awardees. The following five students will move on to the 40th annual international competition, hosted this year by Seattle Colleges, to vie for additional cash prizes and publication in the League's Student Art Competition annual journal.
Best in Show
- “Dream” oil on canvas by Altynai Saparbai, Seattle Central College
Second Place
- “Gemstone Mountain Safety Matches” copper, carnelian, striker paper, matches by Mackenzie Fall, North Seattle College
Third Place
- “Whispers of the Past: Memories of Laundry” artist book by Julie Allen, North Seattle College
Juror’s Choice
- “What a Headache” oil on canvas by Miyoshi Nishimura, North Seattle College
- “Tree Threads” paper, book board, thread by Alannah Laret, North Seattle College
Honorable Mention
- “Bleeding Heart Trio” copper, colored pencil, fixative by Lyr Casper, North Seattle College
- “Pool” oil on canvas by Tobias Hernandez Santacruz y Gomez, North Seattle College
- “A Personal Interpretation of Caravaggio” charcoal on paper by Veranika Golden, North Seattle College
- “Untitled” digital photography by Jose Mejia Garzo, South Seattle College
- “What the tides of time left behind (an elegy as a seabird’s shrine)” reclaimed clay, organic found materials (driftwood, feathers, dried wild grass, pine needles), and twine by Jessamine Pride, South Seattle College
- “Constructing Identity” ink and mixed media on paper by Susanna Yu, Seattle Central College
- “Wares and Pears” graphite on paper by Joyce Li, Seattle Central College
View the artwork.
The faculty coordinators and jurors – Philippe Hyojung Kim, Seattle Central College; Emily Gherard, North Seattle College; and Amiko Matsuo, South Seattle College – want to thank everyone who submitted works.
Jurors from North Seattle, Seattle Central, and South Seattle Colleges convene and select five students to represent Seattle Colleges from the submissions received. The award winners of the local contest receive a cash prize (Best of Show $150, Second Place $100, Third Place $80, Juror's Choice Awards $70) and move on to compete at the international level. Students earning Honorable Mentions at the local level receive a cash prize of $50.
Student Literary Contest
Congratulations to this year’s Student Literary Contest awardees. First place awards in Fiction, Essay, Poetry, and Drama advance to the international competition, this year hosted by Anne Arundel Community College near Annapolis, Maryland. Two additional categories, Spoken Word and Creative Nonfiction, were open for submission locally only from students attending Seattle Colleges and do not advance first place awardees to the international level.
Fiction
- First Place: “My Mom Is Never Late” by Jesus Herrera, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Ashes to Ashes” by River Bennu, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Dust Country, 1935” by Luke Griffin, Seattle Central College
Essay
- First Place: “The Shoe I Kept” by Dustin Prestridge, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Debate of Minute Maid” by Peri Olcer, North Seattle College
Poetry
- First Place: “Doxycycline” by Vera McLaughlin, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “A Letter from Home” by Holly Victor, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Qualms” by Bill Rice, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Introduced Species” by Walden Marcus, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Reassembling Fragments” by Olivia Long, North Seattle College
Drama
- First Place: “Thoughts and Prayers” by Emil Pierce, North Seattle College
Spoken Word (local award)
- First Place: “This Time” by Jervon Andrews, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “The Epitome of Idiocy” by Marcus Staudenraus, North Seattle College
Creative Nonfiction (local award)
- Co-First Place: “My Jim Thorpes” by Okakiina Spotted Bear, North Seattle College
- Co-First Place: “Blissful Ignorance” by Cameron Lewis, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Blue Ink” by Hawraa Carana, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “The Lives They Lived: Northern State Memoirs” by Sierra Rose Crowe, South Seattle College
Read the literary works.
The faculty judges – Matthew Hitchman, South Seattle College; Gregory November, North Seattle College; and Jeb Wyman, Seattle Central College – want to thank everyone who submitted entries.
Local award winners receive a certificate suitable for framing and a cash prize ($100 for first place, $50 for honorable mention). Awards at the international level are $500, $250, and $100, plus a certificate of merit and publication in an anthology booklet.
In the past 17 years, Seattle Colleges has fielded 14 first-place awards at the international level. These achievements are significant considering the level of competition.
Student Art and Literary Awards Celebration on June XX
Members of the Seattle Colleges community are invited to attend the League for Innovation Art and Literary Award Celebration.
League for Innovation Student Art and Literary Awards Celebration
When: TBD
Where: TBD
The program will include:
- Presentation of art awards
- Presentation of literary awards
- Literary readings from student awardees
Light refreshments will be served.
All student entrants are encouraged to attend. Guests are welcome.
If you plan to attend, please complete the form to RSVP.
For a list of previous award recipients, follow the links below and scroll to the bottom of the page: