The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) hosted its 14th annual art competition for all students in Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) schools world-wide. In total, SAAM received 434 student submissions for the contest from 26 schools located in Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
SAAM staff voted on the submissions to select semi-finalists for the Early Elementary (Grades K-2), Later Elementary (Grades 3-5), Middle (Grades 6-8), and High School (Grades 9-12) levels. Winners were selected through a student vote at the participating schools.
SAAM is proud to feature the winning artworks on our website. Below are the images and names of the gold, silver, and bronze award winners from each age group. Please visit our Distance Learning Student Gallery on Flickr, linked below, to see images of all entries.
2026 Theme: Celebrating Culture & Community: Fairs, Festivals, & Carnivals
Imagine you are entering a creative arts contest at a local fair or festival. Using a medium of your choice, make an artwork that celebrates the cultural traditions, natural environment, or everyday life of your hometown or current community.
Grades K-2
Gold: Remington, 2nd grade, “Community Carousel”, Andre Lucas Elementary School, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, USA
Silver: Jalen, 2nd grade, “Fireworks”, Kingsolver Elementary School, Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA
Bronze: Enzo, 2nd grade, “Lego Carnival”, Andre Lucas Elementary School, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, USA
Grades 3-5
Gold: Emeres, 3rd grade, “The Paper Pine”, Murray Elementary School, Fort Stewart, Georgia, USA
Silver: Mia, 5th grade, “The Curious Goat and Duck Looking at Fried Oreos”, Dexter Elementary School, Fort Benning, Georgia, USA
Bronze: Colette, 4th grade, “Mardi Gras Party Dress”, Andre Lucas Elementary School, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, USA
Grades 6-8
Gold: Tanden, 8th grade, “The Aquarium”, Kadena Middle School, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
Silver: Hana, 8th grade, “Bon-Odori's Joy”, Scott Middle School, Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA
Bronze: Elizabeth, 8th grade, “Festival across the Rhine River”, Ramstein Middle School, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
Grades 9-12
Gold: Skylar, 10th grade, “The Wandering Lantern Festival”, Zama Middle High School, Camp Zama, Japan
Silver: Fabiola, 12th grade, Untitled, Fort Campbell High School, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, USA
Bronze: Joseph, 11th grade, “Hot Dogs”, Humphreys High School, USAG Humphreys, South Korea
