05/28/2026
Blue Mountain Community College’s Arts & Culture Committee proudly celebrated the winners of BMCC’s 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, “It 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 year’s event such a success.”
🎨 $1,000 VISUAL ARTS GRAND PRIZE - BMCC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
• Matt Reeves
Art Contest Winners
• 1st Place: Julie Dyer — Still Life Painting
• 2nd Place: Matt Reeves — Gourd
• 3rd Place: Ayden Thurman — Grayscale Self-Portrait
Semi-Finalists
• Raegan Clark — I Will
• Briseida Barrera — Out of Water
• Julie Dyer — Sunrise Walk
Honorable Mentions
• Willow Borron — Sandwich Trinket Box
• Raegan Clark — Goaties
• Teegan Lentz — Wallowa Lake Drawing
✍️ $1,000 WRITING GRAND PRIZE - BMCC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
• Willow Borron
Creative Nonfiction Essay
• 1st Place: Willow Borron — Kicked Awake
• 2nd Place: Nadia Quezada — Love, As the Wall Reflected It
• 3rd Place: Hillery Lay — Forgetting Dixie
Poetry
• 1st Place: Willow Borron — Pasture Theory
• 2nd Place: Konrad (Rad) Chrzanowski — Dysphoria
• 3rd Place: Katelyn Johnson-Torres — Hunting the Ghosts of the Forest
Short Story – Fiction
• 1st Place: Alana McKeon — Our Final Breaths
• 2nd Place: Konrad (Rad) Chrzanowski — 3:33 a.m. UNNAMED STOP
• 3rd Place: Roy Jones — Let’er Buck
Nika Blasser, Art Instructor and Arts & Culture Committee Chair, added, “This 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.”
Congratulations to all participants, and thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s event such a success!
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Blue Mountain Community College: Alumni & Friends
