05/28/2026
Blue Mountain Community Collegeโs Arts & Culture Committee proudly celebrated the winners of BMCCโs 2026 Creative Writing and Art Contests at the annual Awards Reception held May 27 in the BMCC Library in Pioneer Hall. Students, staff, faculty, friends, and family gathered to recognize the talents of BMCC students and celebrate excellence in the arts.
More than $1,400 in gift cards were awarded, along with two $1,000 Grand Prize scholarships sponsored by the BMCC Foundation. First, second, and third place winners in each category received $150, $100, and $50 gift cards respectively, with additional prizes for art semi-finalists, sponsored by the BMCC Arts & Culture Series. The total awards amounted to over $3,400 in winnings.
This year also marked an exciting expansion of the event with the addition of a BMCC student Art Contest. A selection of entries, including the winning works, will remain on view in the BMCC Library through June 4.
Kristin Williams, BMCC Librarian and incoming Associate Dean of General Education, shared, โIt has been rewarding to see the contest grow and to celebrate the ingenuity of our students. We are grateful to everyone who bravely participated, shared their work, and helped make this yearโs event such a success.โ
๐จ $1,000 VISUAL ARTS GRAND PRIZE - BMCC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
โข Matt Reeves
Art Contest Winners
โข 1st Place: Julie Dyer โ Still Life Painting
โข 2nd Place: Matt Reeves โ Gourd
โข 3rd Place: Ayden Thurman โ Grayscale Self-Portrait
Semi-Finalists
โข Raegan Clark โ I Will
โข Briseida Barrera โ Out of Water
โข Julie Dyer โ Sunrise Walk
Honorable Mentions
โข Willow Borron โ Sandwich Trinket Box
โข Raegan Clark โ Goaties
โข Teegan Lentz โ Wallowa Lake Drawing
โ๏ธ $1,000 WRITING GRAND PRIZE - BMCC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
โข Willow Borron
Creative Nonfiction Essay
โข 1st Place: Willow Borron โ Kicked Awake
โข 2nd Place: Nadia Quezada โ Love, As the Wall Reflected It
โข 3rd Place: Hillery Lay โ Forgetting Dixie
Poetry
โข 1st Place: Willow Borron โ Pasture Theory
โข 2nd Place: Konrad (Rad) Chrzanowski โ Dysphoria
โข 3rd Place: Katelyn Johnson-Torres โ Hunting the Ghosts of the Forest
Short Story โ Fiction
โข 1st Place: Alana McKeon โ Our Final Breaths
โข 2nd Place: Konrad (Rad) Chrzanowski โ 3:33 a.m. UNNAMED STOP
โข 3rd Place: Roy Jones โ Letโer Buck
Nika Blasser, Art Instructor and Arts & Culture Committee Chair, added, โThis is a rare opportunity to hear the powerful stories from our writing department and to highlight the range of creative work students are quietly making. This event celebrates the excellence coming through fresh student voices from across different creative fields.โ
Congratulations to all participants, and thank you to everyone who helped make this yearโs event such a success!
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Blue Mountain Community College: Alumni & Friends
