Starkville High Photography College students Earn 9 International Awards

Starkville High School senior, Willie McGee, and junior, Rowan Seltzer-Hill, have every earned top-six recognition within the 2026 Art Collectors Choice Awards, a world competitors introduced by American Art Awards. The award-winning images submitted by the scholars earned honors within the “Non-manipulated Photography” and “Manipulated Photography” classes underneath the subcategories of Landscape, Animal and Still Life.

The American Art Awards program honors up-and-coming artists in additional than 50 classes via American and worldwide competitions annually designed to introduce new expertise to the perfect museums and collectors on this planet. Artists from 47 international locations competed for awards, and the SHS pupil work is featured amongst about 300 worldwide artists who had been awarded 1st via sixth place in every class.

“Graves Into Gardens” – Willie McGee

McGee earned fifth place within the Manipulated Photography – Landscape or Still Life class for his work, “Graves Into Gardens.” This yr, he was additionally named a 2025 National Scholastic Gold Medalist via the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program, an honor awarded to solely 2800 college students throughout the North American continent. During his highschool profession, McGee has earned a number of gold and silver awards within the state Scholastic Art program and Mississippi Beta artwork competitors. He earned a 2nd place National Beta Award in Photography in 2024.

Seltzer-Hill earned eight Art Collectors Choice Awards within the classes of Non-manipulated – Animal, Landscape and Still Life, together with 2nd place for “Off Spray” and third place for “Distillery.”

“When our students choose to compete in an international visual arts contest like the American Art Awards, it allows them to be measured against the world’s best,” stated Andrew Lark, award-winning SHS artwork teacher. “I’m very proud of Rowan and Willie for their work and dedication to improving their craft.”

It’s a majority of these alternatives Lark feels pushes college students to be higher and to excel of their chosen media. Taking that probability also can catch the attention of faculties and universities.

“To compete against the world’s most passionate photographers and artists can be very challenging, but also overwhelmingly rewarding for our student artists,” he stated. “When students put an international award like this on their resumes, college representatives see them as exceptional.”

Through the Photography class, Yellow Jacket college students be taught the usage of photographic gear that skilled photographers make the most of in addition to software program comparable to Adobe Photoshop which helps with enhancing. Learning these real-world instruments helps college students put together to proceed their craft after highschool and in addition positions them to have the ability to do properly in competitions just like the annual Art Collectors Choice Awards. In his position as trainer, Lark seeks to encourage college students to be and do their finest, to pursue their ardour and to offer the instruments crucial to attain their objectives, encouraging them to stretch out of their consolation zones. It’s an strategy that permits college students to see their very own potential and obtain it.

Arts training within the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is obtainable to college students starting in PreK, and college students might enroll in arts electives starting in sixth grade. Advanced instruction in visible arts, drawing, images and ceramics is obtainable to college students starting in ninth grade, and the Starkville High School visible arts program yearly produces statewide, nationwide and worldwide award-winners. Through award-winning and complete instruction, college students taking part within the SHS visible arts program have earned scholarships to proceed their research in esteemed faculties throughout the nation, together with the Rhode Island School of Design and Savannah College of Art and Design and University of Virginia.

SHS 2026 ART COLLECTORS CHOICE COMPETITION AWARDS:

• CATEGORY 46. MANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY – LANDSCAPE OR STILL LIFE 
  
  fifth Place – Tie   WILLIE MCGEE – “Graves Into Gardens”
  
   
• CATEGORY 41. NON-MANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY – ANIMAL
  
  sixth Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Crane”
  
   
• CATEGORY 43. NON-MANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY – LANDSCAPE
  
  2nd Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Off spray” 
  
  third Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Distillery” 
  
  4th Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Truck” 
  
  fifth Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Sun Set” 
  
  fifth Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Leaf”   
  
  sixth Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “Appalachian’s”
  
   
• CATEGORY 44. NON-MANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY – STILL LIFE
  
  fifth Place – Tie   ROWAN SELTZER-HILL – “A-5”