Media release from Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites:
On Thursday, January 15th, 2026, Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites invited the winners of its 2nd Annual High School Art Contest to display their artwork at the Georgia State Capitol Building in downtown Atlanta.
The contest invites Georgia high school students to create original pieces of art of, or inspired by, one of the 66 sites operated by the State Parks and Historic Sites division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The contest received double the number of entries as the first year it was held and has gotten overwhelming support from school systems and art programs all around the state. Of the 266 submissions, 11 pieces were selected as “winners” to comprise a Top 10 (including a tie for second place).
The winning artwork was displayed in the South Atrium of the State Capitol Building for legislators and the public to view. Walter Rabon, the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, delivered a speech recognizing the effort and achievements of the young artists. During the address he remarked, “This art contest embodies our mission to sustain, enhance, protect, and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic, and cultural resources by engaging young people and inspiring a new generation to appreciate and protect the treasures that define our state.”
The commissioner then invited the State Parks Chief of Resource Management, Ellen Graham, to recognize each artist and speak about ongoing programming efforts at the parks. She was followed by State Representative Marvin Lim and Senator Sonya Halpern, who helped create the contest and have sponsored the event at the capitol since its inception.
The Art Contest display coincided with the “Keep Georgia Wild” event which was held earlier that day in the South Atrium. Keep Georgia Wild features all divisions of the Department of Natural Resources alongside a variety of other wildlife and outdoor conservation groups to share with lawmakers the importance of enjoying and protecting Georgia’s great outdoors.
Winners:
- 1st Place – Quang Nguyen, “Wood Duck Ripples”, Elbert County Comprehensive High School, Richard B Russell State Park
- 2nd Place (tie) – Gaole Dai, “The Fall of the House of Chief Vann”, Cherokee High School, Chief Vann House State Historic Site
- 2nd Place (tie) – Georgie Herb, “Tallulah”, Rabun County High School, Tallulah Gorge State Park
- Top 10 – Sophia Lin, “Fallin’ for Waterfalls”, SKA Academy, Hard Labor Creek State Park
- Top 10 – Alberto Garcia, “Protect the Okefenokee”, Gordon Central High School, Stephen C Foster State Park
- Top 10 – Andrianna Schuler, “Armed Man”, McIntosh County Academy, Fort King George State Historic Site
- Top 10 – Fernanda Calderon, “Altamaha Landscape”, McIntosh County Academy, Fort King George State Historic Site
- Top 10 – Ethan Kim, “Sylvan Embrace”, Jackson County High School, Fort Yargo State Park
- Top 10 – Chloe Ballard, “Cherokee Falls”, Dade County High School, Cloudland Canyon State Park
- Top 10 – Zhuoyue Li, “Field of Flowers”, South Forsyth High School, Chattahoochee Bend State Park
- Top 10 – TaNia Spence, “Fort Mountain State Park”, Perry High School, Fort Mountain State Park
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