2022 Student Art Contest

In 2022, Southwest Florida held its first Student Art Contest sponsored by the Middle District and Fed Bar. Sixth- to twelfth-grade students in Lee County were invited to create artwork in response to a prompt. Specifically, they were asked to visualize the place, meaning, and importance of the federal court system to American society. They were encouraged to look for inspiration in courthouse architecture, judges and jurors, along with themes or rights enshrined in the Constitution.

Congratulations to all participants! We received many wonderful submissions from across the County. The Judges of the Fort Myers Division approved many for display throughout the Courthouse. And they invited all participants to a recognition ceremony and ice cream social at the Courthouse in November 2022. While all the work was outstanding, the Judges had to make tough calls to name winners. The winners follow:

Overall Winners

First Place: Ava Williams (North Fort Myers High School)

Second Place: Edwin Nicolas (Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts)

Third Place: Lauren Lyons (Bishop Verot High School)

Grade-Level Winners

Seventh Grade: Ruby Stinnett (Three Oaks Middle)

Eighth Grade: Edwin Nicolas Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts)

Ninth Grade: Sofia Perez (Bishop Verot High School)

Tenth Grade: Ethan Swanson (Bishop Verot High School)

Eleventh Grade: Kendalyn Taylor (Riverdale High School)

Twelfth Grade: Ava Williams (North Fort Myers High School)

Next time you’re in Court, keep an eye out for work of Southwest Florida’s talented art students. And if you know any artistic local students, let them know to mark their calendars for next year. The Art Contest was such a huge success that we plan to make it an annual event expanded to the entire Division!