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Presenting the
2026 High School Top Awards!
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| The $3,000 High School Best in Show prize was awarded to Paulina Ausucua, a 12th grade student at Stratford High School with teacher Rachel Goins in Houston, Texas, for her acrylic painting on canvas board The Shape of Growth about American plant scientist Norman Borlaug. The young artist depicts Borlaug amidst the wheat fields where he developed ultra-resilient grains fueling the Green Revolution that led to global food production. “His life is one of resilience, determination, and the idea that itis important to continue looking for solutions and pursue them, despite any challenges,” reads Ausucua’s Impact Statement. |
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Congratulations, Paulina Ausucua!
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| Winning the $2,500 High School First Place prize was Melvin Yoo, a ninth grade student working on an independent study from Chadwick International in Incheon, South Korea, for Running Against Cancer, inspired by the Canadian athlete and cancer activist Terry Fox. In his artwork made of gouache and colored pencil on paper, Yoo presents a victorious figure of Fox, whose Marathon of Hope grew into one of the world’s largest fundraisers for cancer research. “The artwork represents not only the significance of Fox’s journey across Canada, but also his influence as a symbol of perseverance, hope, and worldwide action against cancer,” Yoo writes in his Impact Statement. |
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Congratulations, Melvin Yoo!
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| The recipient of the $2,000 High School Second Place prize was Halyn Oh, a ninth grade student working on an independent study at Seoul Scholars International Art& Design in South Korea, for Butterfly’s Rebirth, a deeply layered work featuring human rights activist Kim Hak-Sun. In her Impact Statement, Oh says, “I wanted to share Kim Hak-Sun’s courageous action as my role model because she was the first one who broke the shame and came out to the public to reveal the truth and give a positive social impact.” |
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Congratulations, Halyn Oh!
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INNOVATION GENERATION
2026 SUMMER ART COMPETITION
Choose Your Unsung Hero!
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| The Innovation Generation directory highlights role models whose remarkable innovations, inventions, and research have made positive, profound, and lasting contributions to society. Browse the stories of these Unsung Heroes to choose a topic for the summer competition!
The 2026 Summer Competition is open to high school students. All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate, including rising high school freshmen (students entering 9th grade in Fall 2026) and students who graduated high school in 2026. |
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| Meet our 2025-2026 Ambassador Taneisha Whatley, a Visual Art Teacher at Westover High School in Albany, Georgia.
For her culminating capstone project, Taneisha created an interactive community gallery exhibition titled, “Beyond the Canvas” that displayed the student artworks and impact statements. |
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| Here is an excerpt from Taneisha’s Capstone Project report:
“The response from our community has been overwhelming. During our opening night in May, we had parents, local leaders, and other students pack the room. Visitors commented on how mature the students’ insights were, and many expressed that they learned about Unsung Heroes they had never heard of before.”
Congratulations to Taneisha and her students at Westover High School in Georgia for your spectacular ARTEFFECT projects! |
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| Congratulations to Taneisha’s students who were selected as Finalists in the 2026 ARTEFFECT annual competition! |
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| 2026 Finalists by Taneisha Whatley’s students: Sounds from the Army by Anthony Davis (Grade 12) about Unsung Hero James Reese Europe; and Systems of the Lab by Cameron Prim (Grade 12) about Unsung Hero Robert R. Williams. |
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| Stay connected with ARTEFFECT and spread the word about the 2026 competition winners. Be sure follow us on these platforms for announcements, news, professional development, resources and more! |
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