2026 Winners Art & Soul of the Magic Valley
Enjoy the spectacular results of the 16th annual Art & Soul of the Magic Valley below! Chosen by a record number of votes, the winners are listed below.
Art and Soul Adult & Youth 2026 Winners
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
$12,000: Josh Blewett, Ridgefield, WA for his sculpture over 3′ ‘Sentinel’, displayed at Premier Autogroup. His sponsor was Jane Bennett Munro.
SECOND PLACE
$6000: John D. Wilson, Star, ID for his woodworking entry ‘Massive Marble Run From Outer Space’, displayed at Middlekauff Ford. He was sponsored by Forest Bear Lapidary.
THIRD PLACE
$3000: Robert Koch, Twin Falls, ID for his glass entry ‘The Eternal Harvest’ displayed at Premier Autogroup. His sponsor was Tricia Friedrich.
FOURTH PLACE
$1500: Brenda Raub, Mountain Home, ID for her drawing entry ‘A Pile of Wax’, displayed at Middlekauff Ford. Her sponsor was Joe & Lisa Hymas.
2025 Best in Category Winners
The Magic Valley Arts Council awarded over $40,500 in prize money during the Art & Soul of the Magic Valley Awards Ceremony on Friday, July 10. A total of 96 artists took home prize money.
The 16th anniversary of this community-wide arts appreciation/art contest had 206 participants in the main contest, representing 31 Idaho cities, 19 states, and the United Kingdom. 70 children registered in the Youth contest.
Major Supporters of this year’s contest are Art Guild of the Magic Valley, City of Twin Falls, Con Paulos Chevrolet, Healthmart Pharmacy, First Federal Bank, Five Fish Press, Hilton Garden Inn, Idaho Central Credit Union, Idaho Commission on the Arts, Magic Valley Mall, Middlekauff Auto Group, Premier Autogroup, Next Level Solutions, Linda & Bob Sojka, Twin Falls Chevrolet,, and Wills Toyota.
The contest rules accommodate low entry in categories. The rules stipulate that a $1,000 Best-Of-Show prize will be awarded if ten or more artists enter that category. Categories with at least five entries were awarded $500.
Winners in each category are:
ACRYLIC:
Honorable Mention – $50: Zuzana Drobnik, Sandpoint, ID for ‘The Lodge Pole’
Third Place – $100: Rick Kuhn, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Fair Week’
Second Place – $150: Megan Beavers, Lander, WY for ‘Rejoice in the Light’
Best In Show – $1000: Sharon Higby, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Bejeweled’
CERAMIC:
Honorable Mention – $25: Rachel Layman, Missoula, MT for ‘Sunflower Cup’
Third Place – $50: Carrie Easterly, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Guardian’
Second Place – $75: Nicole Kindred, Shoshone, ID for ‘Medusa Reclaimed’
Best In Show – $500: Melisa of MWY Pottery, San Mateo, CA for ‘I’m 5!’
DIGITAL:
Honorable Mention – $25: Paola Rasmussen, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Conquering Your Past’
Third Place – $50: Lucie E Mitchell, Oxford, AL for ‘The Mask of Suicide’
Second Place – $75: Katie Mayer, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Through the Grasses’
Best In Show – $500: Aviva Weinberg, Redwood City, CA for ‘Filtered Reality’
DRAWING:
Honorable Mention – $50: Roland Escalona, Irvine, CA for ‘Close Quarters V’
Third Place – $100: Jaqueline Koopman, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Convictions’
Second Place – $150: Sarah Wu, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Full Body Portrait’
Best In Show – $1000: Betsy Horner Morishita, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Hanging By A Thread’
FIBER:
Honorable Mention – $25: Bianca Bumpass, Kent, WA for ‘Icoană’
Third Place – $50: Laura Cook, Kimberly, ID for ‘Moonrise’
Second Place – $75: Diana McDonald, Springfield, KY for ‘Sasquatch’
Best In Show – $500: Ariel Ferdinand, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Liminal Faces’
GLASS:
Honorable Mention – $25: Mary Jo Frazier, Hansen, ID for ‘Looking For A Reaction’
Third Place – $50: Edie Martin, Eagle, ID for ‘Aquamarine Spring’
Second Place – $75: Brenda Gale Chadwell, Declo, ID for ‘Leaping Dolphins’
Best In Show – $500: Suzi Butler, Eagle, ID for ‘Focusing Positive Energy – Contemporary Yantra #2’
MIXED MEDIA:
Honorable Mention – $50: Julie Georgiades, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Into the Hills’
Third Place – $100: Debbie Crockett, Hansen, ID for ‘Chasing the Wind’
Second Place – $150: Jessicca Crismor, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Between Bloom and Shadow’
Best In Show – $1000: Jim Daniels, Boise, ID for ‘Ghost of the Zagros’
OIL:
Honorable Mention – $50: Dallin Mena, Boise, ID for ‘Kicking’
Third Place – $100: Bailey Burton, Darby, MT for ‘Untamed’
Second Place – $150: Amber Sampson, Belgrade, MT for ‘Beneath The Moon’s Gaze’
Best In Show – $1000: Cody White, Rupert, ID for ‘Nature’s Grandeur’
ORIGINAL ART QUILT:
Honorable Mention – $25: Patti Patterson, Twin Falls, ID for ‘You Are My Sunshine’
Third Place – $50: Yvonne Loman, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Perrine Bridge Mosaic Applique Quilt’
Second Place – $75: Deb Deaton, Sierra Vista, AZ for ‘Whispers From The Canyon’
Best In Show – $500: LeAnn Hileman, Glendale, AZ for ‘Harbor’
PASTEL:
Honorable Mention – $25: Frankie Grant, Idaho Falls, ID for ‘Amazing Coyote’
Third Place – $50: Ekta Shah, Washington, DC for ‘Krishna The Song Divine’
Second Place – $75: Jude Metzler, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Road Trip Musicians’
Best In Show – $500: Jill Storey, Boise, ID for ‘Shadow Dancers’
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Third Place TIE – $100: Charlene Aycock, Hagerman, ID for ‘The Dance’
Third Place TIE – $100: Jessica Thompson, Branford, CT for ‘Pura Vida’
Second Place – $150: Vickie Craig, Hazelton, ID for ‘Morning Reflection’
Best In Show – $1000: Mark Mitchell, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Creek & Wildflowers Above Lake Cleveland’
PRINTMAKING:
Honorable Mention – $25: Jessie Swimeley, Caldwell, ID for ‘Zoey in the Blanket Flowers’
Third Place – $50: Melissa Whitchurch, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Twilight Murmuration’
Second Place – $75: Ellie Burton, Filer, ID for ‘Thirty One’
Best In Show – $500: Laurel Macdonald, Boise, ID for ‘Blue Heron’
SCULPTURE 3′ AND UNDER:
Honorable Mention – $50: Neva McGregor, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Wired Serenity’
Third Place – $100: Holly Layman, Perkiomenville, PA for ‘Oliver’
Second Place – $150: Dave LaMure Jr, Kimberly, ID for ‘The Speaker’
Best In Show – $1000: Jeffro Uitto, Tokeland, WA for ‘Bronze Arching Horse Bust’
SCULPTURE OVER 3′:
Honorable Mention – $25: Jeff Lohr, Filer, ID for ‘Rolling Thunder’
Third Place – $50: Harold Linke, Lake Oswego, OR for ‘Mountain Spell’
Second Place– $75: The Bartlett Family, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Old Reliable 43: The “Ida-Hoe” Harvester’
Best In Show – $500: Sean Wayment, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Vöktari Stafna’
WATERMEDIA:
Honorable Mention – $50: Leslie Lambert, Burley, ID for ‘I Think That I Shall Never See A Poem As Lovely As A Tree’
Third Place – $100: Shelly Johnson, Boise, ID for ‘Happiness on a Tire Swing’
Second Place – $150: Kayla Cuellar, Caldwell, ID for ‘Catching Frosty’
Best In Show – $1000: Yidan Guo, Pocatello, ID for ‘Pratikshya’
WEARABLE:
Honorable Mention – $25: Teresa Shelton, Orofino, ID for ‘Arrowleaf Balsamroot Necklace’
Third Place – $50: Jill Kruse, Brookings, SD for ‘Stained Glass Window Dress’
Second Place – $75: Stephanie Van Diest, Kimberly, ID for ‘Cathedral Camouflaged Outfit’
Best In Show – $500: Leandra Martin, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Floral Inlay Cowboy Boots’
WOODWORK:
Honorable Mention – $50: Lebron Burton, Filer, ID for ‘Apothecary Cabinet’
Third Place – $100: John Hasher, Star, ID for ‘Tele Essence’
Second Place – $150: Kelly Klaas, Twin Falls, ID for ‘Remembering Union School’
Best In Show – $1000: Russ McAnulty, Kimberly, ID for ‘Myrtle Rocking Chair’
People’s Choice Venue Award
From 66 venue locations, the public voted for their favorite Venues.
Honorable Mention for Large Venue (6+ works) went to Middlekauff Ford; People’s Choice for Large Venue was awarded to Wabi Sabi Gallery.
Honorable Mention for Small Venue (5 or fewer works) went to Sav Mor Drug; People’s Choice for Small Venue was awarded to Crystals Enlight.
Youth Division
Elementary Grades K-2 Division
Third Place TIE – $50: Kole Gertsch, Twin Falls
Third Place TIE – $50: Elilah Vargas-Paz, Twin Falls
Second Place – $75: Braxton Hill, Twin Falls
Best In Show – $100: Xena Burgara, Rupert
Elementary Grades 3-5 Division
Third Place TIE – $50: Serenity Todderello, Twin Falls
Third Place TIE – $50: Charlie Layman, Perkiomenville PA
Second Place – $100: Alyssa Martinez, Twin Falls
Best In Show – $200: Jimmy Wiggins, Buhl
Middle School Division
Honorable Mention – $25: Molly Adams, Twin Falls
Third Place – $75: Ollie Burt, Twin Falls
Second Place – $150: Jaysee Chaparro, Twin Falls
Best In Show – $300: Judah Novinger, Bliss
High School Division
Honorable Mention – $25: Sophie Paulsen, Kimberly
Third Place – $75: Layla Lozoya, Wilder
Second Place – $150: Emmarae Martinez, Buhl
Best In Show – $300: Caleb Jensen, Twin Falls
