Arts in the Airport 2026
19th Annual High School Visual Arts and Photography Competition / Exhibition
View the 2025 Arts in the Airport artwork:
Paintings / Photography
Important Dates
NOTE: Dates below have been pushed back ONE WEEK due to winter weather-related school closures.
- Preliminary Entries Submission Form Open (Paintings and Photo): Monday, January 5, 2026
- Preliminary Entries Due (Paintings and Photo): Friday, February 13, 2026
- Judging and Selection of Finalists Participants (Paintings and Photo): February 18-25, 2026
- Announcement of Final Contestants to teachers/schools and judges (Paintings and Photo): Friday, February 27, 2026
- Art Center Kit Pick-Up: First and second week of March – exact dates TBA
- Finalists’ Exhibition Painting Delivery: Friday, April 17, 2026
- Finals Judging: April 22-29, 2026
- Arts in the Airport Event: Thursday, May 7, 2026
2026 Painting Finalists
| Artwork Title | Student Name | High School Name |
|---|---|---|
| Cruisin’ Rhythm | Jana Albonni | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Memphis Flow | Zaisha Ali | Collierville |
| Blue Light | Sarah Alkabsh | Kingsbury |
| I Am a Man — Always and Forever | Zahra Altareb | White Station |
| Memphis’ Big Backyard | Caroline Anderson | Houston |
| El-fish Presley | Ella Beaver | Houston |
| 58 Keys | Breanna Bey | Ridgeway |
| The Birthplace of Rock N’ Roll | Brooke Biggins | Collierville |
| Being Free | Ni’Kloe Bland Polk | Ridgeway |
| Musical Mares | Margaret Bondi | Collierville |
| Where Broadway Meets Beale | Gabriella Clark | Collierville |
| The Rock n Soul Museum | Charli Contreras | Collierville |
| A Night Out at B.B. King’s | Isabella Cox | Houston |
| The Loading Ground | Carrington Criswell | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Memphis Minnie | Ana Cruz Hinojosa | Collierville |
| Memphis to Memphis | Malika Dadanova | Houston |
| Memphis Zoo | Matthew De Chavez | Central |
| United As Memphis | Kloe Delapena | Arlington |
| Memphis Nights in Melody | Alexis Dickerson | Whitehaven |
| A Night at Silky O’Sullivan’s | Long Do | White Station |
| Tuned Into Memphis — Beale Street Turned All the Way Up | Rachel (William/Liam) Finkelman | White Station |
| Nosotros Somos el Futuro / We are the Future | Marcela Flores | Collegiate School Of Memphis |
| Musical Connection | Greyson Foster | Arlington |
| Home of the Blues | Aubrey Frye | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| MLK Legacy | Andre Gross | Collierville |
| Reservations For… | Antwan Groves | Whitehaven |
| Can’t Help Falling in Love with Memphis | Maria Herrera | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Tiger Pride | Karley Hicks | Arlington |
| Sunset of Colors | Henry Hoang | Collierville |
| Ms. Power | Tamirah Jackson | Whitehaven |
| A Musical Memphis | Jessica Jin | Collierville |
| Walking Down the Rainbow | Heidi Juare | Collegiate School Of Memphis |
| All of Memphis | Hannah Kim | Arlington |
| Elvis Quackly at Peabody | Zena Kim | Collierville |
| Memphis Grooves | Gabrielle Kresnadi | Collierville |
| A Tasty Feast | Lena Le | Collegiate School Of Memphis |
| Memphis Cafe | Kai Le | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Memphis Rhythm | Cindy Le | Ridgeway |
| Blues City Cafe | Madison Livesay | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Rock N Soul Ducklings | Amiyah Long | Collierville |
| The Birth of a Star | Yocelin Lopez | Collegiate School Of Memphis |
| The Legend of Memphis! | Daniela Mascote | Craigmont |
| Fairground Nights in the Mid-South | Savannah Miller | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Untitled | Diana Morales | Freedom Prep Academy High School |
| Melody in Motion | Amira Moubasher | Ridgeway |
| Childhood Come to Life | Thomas Ochoa | Arlington |
| A Night in Memphis | Leandro Palma | Kingsbury |
| Scene At Stax | Jasmine Parham | Whitehaven |
| Coloring Our History | Mariah Parker | Freedom Prep Academy High School |
| The Thrill is Gone | Keya Patel | Collierville |
| Our Core | Sophia Pater | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Toco Toucan | Angel Perez | Collierville |
| Music by the River | Nicolle Petit | Ridgeway |
| Daughters of Memphis Music | Elyse Poloni | Collierville |
| Where The Mississippi Flows | Heike Raymer | Faith Heritage Christian Academy |
| Memphis Soul City Symphony | Jamilla Revels | Central |
| A Selfie at the Peabody | Joselyn Reyes Lopez | Collegiate School Of Memphis |
| Rhythm and Blues | Aerlyn Smith | Arlington |
| Shaping Memphis | Chloe Smith | White Station |
| The Rising Sun | Samantha Smith | Arlington |
| The Beacon | Olivia Sterling | White Station |
| Rock, Roll, and Roar | Savannah Stone | Collierville |
| A Dream Retold | Kingston Stringer | Central |
| The Lyrics of Beale St. | Cadence Sullivan | Whitehaven |
| Home of the Blues | Tess Terpstra | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Where Legends Were Made | Allyson Tirado | Freedom Prep Academy High School |
| Spark of Rights | Jazmin Trejo Jimenez | Freedom Prep Academy High School |
| Untitled | Giselle Vazquez Medina | Freedom Prep Academy High School |
| Grizzly Strong | Kamryn Walls | Ridgeway |
| The Making of the Blues | Andrea Whitmore | Germantown |
| Memphis Memories | Gabryela Williamson | Arlington |
| Playbill of Memphis | Zoey Yale | Lakeland Preparatory School |
| Memphis At Night | Rachel Yan | Houston |
| Beats Of Memphis | Paola Ynfante | Arlington |
| Peabody Memphis | Emmalyn Zobell | Lakeland Preparatory School |
2026 Photography Finalists
| Photo Title | Student Name | High School Name |
|---|---|---|
| See You Soon Memphis | Zahra Altareb | White Station |
| Pe-Body | Jeremiah Amuzu | Christian Brothers |
| Belle of Memphis | Ari Bichelman | Christian Brothers |
| Happiness, Served Cold | William Bradley | Christian Brothers |
| Memphis On the Field | Max Cosio | Christian Brothers |
| Where Dreams and History Met | Absa Diallo | Whitehaven |
| Beale Street on Ice | Alexandra Fahr | Arlington |
| Power in Snow | Will Fogerty | Christian Brothers |
| Memphis Sights | YeAsante Franklin | City University School Of Liberal Arts |
| Urban Revival | Megan Garrett | Bartlett |
| Thursday at the Ballpark | Turner Grisanti | Christian Brothers |
| Beale Appeal | Chloe Hartwell | Bartlett |
| Memphis Strong | Landon Heathcoat | Christian Brothers |
| Washed Dreams | Aubrey Hersey | Bartlett |
| Memphis Zoo | Tikaiya Houston | City University School Of Liberal Arts |
| Twisted View At The Memphis Zoo | Caden Jackson | Bartlett |
| Greatness Upon Greatness | Brandon Lee | Christian Brothers |
| Memphis Skyline | Kylie Lesure | Whitehaven |
| MLK | Aaliyah Maxwell | City University School Of Liberal Arts |
| Lovely | Brooke McClora | Whitehaven |
| WHS SOP Sax Legacy | John Moon | Whitehaven |
| Beale Street: Heart of Memphis | Jasmine Moss | City University School Of Liberal Arts |
| An Arcade to Feed a City | Stefan Mullins | Christian Brothers |
| Guitars, Ghosts, and Greatness | Madelaine Pannell | Bartlett |
| Cooper-Young Blues | Austin Robbins | Bartlett |
| Son of Memphis | Mikey Rodgers | Bartlett |
| Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley | Brynner Salg | Bartlett |
| Memphis SoulsVille | Whitlie Sanders | Whitehaven |
| The Human Race | Elliott Shah | Christian Brothers |
| Things are Looking Up in Memphis Tennessee | Catherine Shelton | Bartlett |
| Go Grizz! | Micah Simpson | Arlington |
| Alley Keeper | Caden Starnes | Christian Brothers |
| Pitching Memphis | Trexler Townley Bakewell | White Station |
| Lights at Midnight | Jake Turner | Christian Brothers |
| Welcome To My World | Hudson Tutor | Christian Brothers |
| Across the Bridge | Christian Villanueva | Christian Brothers |
| Standing Unmoved | Caroline Wallace | St. Mary’s Episcopal School |
| The Boulevard | Carter Wyatt | Christian Brothers |
Rules and Regulations
Theme – Painting and Photography:
All visual art and photography pieces presented for submission must contain iconic/historic images which are symbolic of the city of Memphis, including replicas representative of Memphis’ heritage, i.e. blues/jazz/bluegrass music, famous native Memphians, Beale St., downtown Main St. Trolley cars, etc.
Visual Interpretation – Painting and Photography:
It is one of our main goals through this program to provide students with general theme guidelines, while also allowing their creativity and vision to capture the true spirit of our great city of Memphis. We encourage each student to incorporate technical aspects in their submissions, including abstractions, array of colors, lighting, composition, landscapes, environments, etc. Be creative!
Number of Entries Per Student:
Each student will be allowed ONE entry, or if they so choose, are allowed ONE entry into each category for this competition, i.e. one painting, and one photograph. Student entry forms MUST include student name and title of painting/photo in the title, but not the school. For example: “Joe Smith – Memphis Sounds.” In addition, entry forms must be submitted digitally via online form at flymemphis.com. The entry form webpage link will be sent out after January 1, 2026.
Paintings:
Each contestant will need to submit a digital sample of their artwork. The recommended size for preliminary artwork is a 12” x 16” on non-matte canvas or sketch paper (heavy stock). Additionally, each student is allowed to incorporate textiles/materials into their artwork. Student submissions MUST include student name and title of the painting, but not the school. For example: “Joe Smith – Memphis Sounds.” Finalists selected in the first round of judging will then submit a 30″ x 40″ canvas by April 17, 2026.
Photography:
Each contestant can submit a high resolution photo via the online submission form. The judges will be looking for authenticity and originality as it relates to the overall sample. We encourage each student to avoid filters unless the filter assists in the overall vision. Student submissions MUST include student name and title of the photograph, but not the school. For example: “Joe Smith – Memphis Sounds.”
Sales:
Final selections may be reproduced for the sole purpose of raising funds for the Memphis International Airport Community Foundation to help purchase the necessary art supplies for the contest. Should the artwork be purchased, any monies collected from this transaction shall be remitted to the student artist.
Sold/Unsold Art:
All pieces sold during the one-year exhibition will be delivered to the respective buyers, and all remaining selections will be returned to the original artist (Date may vary, but approximately May/June 2027).
Questions:
Questions about the contest may be submitted to arts@flymemphis.com.