The 27th annual Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest winners were recently announced, with Northeastern REMC area students being awarded eight of the 14 top prizes.

Cassidy Skinner, a high school junior from South Whitley, was named Artist of the Year for her lifelike scratchboard art of a dog. Skinner also won both first place and honorable mention for the 11th-grade category.

The art contest is open to any Indiana K-12 student. The artwork was judged on artistic merit, originality, creativity, and suitability for a wall calendar. The art contest is open to any Indiana K-12 student. Approximately 2,500 pieces of artwork were entered in this year's competition.

The winners of the art contest will have their work featured in the 2025 wall calendar, which will be available at Northeastern REMC in November. A first-place artist was selected for each grade, K-12, and each will receive $200. Their artwork will illustrate the cover and the 12 months of the calendar. Thirteen additional artists earned an honorable mention award and $75. These works will appear in a special section of the calendar. A complete list of the contest winners is below.

Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest Winners

Kindergarten: Kora Gehlhausen, Birdseye
First Grade: Rowyn Mellencamp, Seymour
Second Grade: Eva Harrison, Greensburg
Third Grade: Caroline Buck, Fort Wayne
Fourth Grade: Adelyn Luckey, Columbia City
Fifth Grade: Flynn Cissell, Borden
Sixth Grade: Lena Goller, Shoals
Seventh Grade: Zoe Bubp, Fort Wayne
Eighth Grade: Cooper Baird, Fort Wayne
Ninth Grade: Isabelle Ferguson, Worthington
10th Grade: Alena Hindbaugh, South Whitley
11th Grade: Cassidy Skinner, South Whitley (Best in Show)
12th Grade: Justine Ocken, South Whitley

Honorable mention winners: Mason Malicki (Columbia City), Ella Stein (Fort Wayne), Braydon Snider (Fort Wayne), Elliana Heintz (Fort Wayne), Cassidy Skinner (South Whitley), and Katelyn Cripe, (South Whitley)