Over 130 student artists from around the country gathered at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Whitten Patio Atrium in the nation’s capital on July 8 to receive awards honoring their original artwork in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
The students, grades 3 to 12, had each won a trip to Washington for the July 7–9 awards ceremony and special exhibition of their work at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall.
Headlining the ceremony was Second Lady Usha Vance, one of the distinguished judges, who praised the honorees in her opening remarks.
“This competition is such a beautiful celebration of America’s past by the very young people who will be responsible for its future … Your artwork so beautifully captures America’s rich legacy of creativity, exploration, and aiming ever higher,” she said.
More than 1,000 students nationwide entered the American Heroes Student Art Contest, which closed for submissions on June 1. Students were invited to creatively represent a historical figure from the list of more than 200 individuals in President Donald Trump’s 2021 Executive Order “Building the National Garden of American Heroes”—one of the final presidential orders signed during his first term, just two days before the end of his presidency. Alongside a two-dimensional, original, handmade work of art, each submission required a statement from the artist describing their artwork and the importance of their chosen hero.
In the first round of judging, a panel of nine artists, art historians, and arts educators reviewed and scored the entries with a rubric measuring artistic skill, creativity, historical relevance, and the quality of the essay. This round determined state and territory winners in each age category.
In the final round, a panel of four distinguished judges—the Second Lady, Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach, NEH Acting Chairman William English, and artist and philanthropist Trish Duggan—ranked the top 15 to determine the national winners, one in each age category of elementary, middle, and high school.
Britian Major won the regional (Southeast) division for high school with her oil painting of Abraham Lincoln titled “Unite Them.” Major said she chose Lincoln as her hero because of what he went through to unite America civilly and morally. “I think we wouldn’t have our standing foundation of America as it is today without him.”
The canvas depicts Lincoln with furrowed brow and hunched over, his hand propping up his head. He looks exhausted and wears an expression of defeat. The Emancipation Proclamation hangs unfurled from his left hand, while a grieving angel behind him shields her face with her wing in a gesture that simultaneously consoles the 16th U.S. president.
The practice of empathy played a significant part in her creative process, Major said. The young artist from Florida told The Epoch Times she read many books on Abraham Lincoln in an effort to understand the emotional burden he carried: “My intent was to remind people that true leadership often involves carrying immense invisible weight while still moving forward.”
Echoing that sentiment was award-winning classical artist Julio Reyes, who encouraged the young artists to view their souls as the wellspring of their true creativity: “Beholding is something only a living soul can do ... You experience, and you transmit through your creations something only the soul can impart.”
Samantha Wiggin, the national first-place winner in the high school category, created a graphite drawing titled, “America Embodied: A Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt.” Hailing from just outside Boston, Wiggin said she chose to draw Roosevelt because he’s her favorite president and one of “the most American people ever.”
“All he did for the country; all the national parks he founded—he was the first president really into conservation work. And he loves horses, like me, so that’s a plus,” she said.
Reyes, who served as a judge for state winners, said in his closing address that the students had done more than create beautiful objects or thoughtful essays: “When young artists and writers like you capture stories of our heroes … you strengthen the moral imagination of a nation. And you help us to seek courage, sacrifice, resilience, and hope in human form.”
A special exhibition featuring more than 130 state and territory winning artworks and essays will be on display through July 10 at the Great American State Fair in the American Canvas Pavilion.
