Student artists in Penn Manor School District earned a total of 36 awards for this year's Lancaster County Young Artists exhibit. The regional competition, which is organized through a partnership between the Demuth Foundation, the Lancaster Museum of Art and Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, opened with a reception on March 8. This year's award winners include Jason Joniec, Adessa Bradley, Vienne Kreider, Jami Bachman, Mikayla Resser, Willow Ashworth, Janell Ortiz, Sophia Swanson, Rose Emenheiser, Adelyn Martin, Jerelyn Burns, Jasmine Uleary, Olivia Haldeman, David Fogel, Andrea Clare, Anayah Rosa, Emersyn Schaeffer, Sophia Schoonover and Kaitlyn Spalletta.

The exhibit is hosted at the Lancaster Museum of Art and Pennsylvania College of Art & Design simultaneously, and it features the work of students from middle schools and high schools throughout the county. A selection of pieces made by artists from Penn Manor High School will remain on display until Sunday, April 7, at the Lancaster Museum of Art, 135 N. Lime St., Lancaster. Artwork from an additional seven school districts will be exhibited at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster city.

Every year, students between seventh and 12th grades are invited to submit work in the Lancaster County Young Artists exhibit, which is open to kids who are enrolled in a local district as well as homeschooled youths. The regional competition includes categories for apparel, ceramics and glass, digital art, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and many other mediums.

Art teachers in each school district select work from their students to enter in the contest every year. Once the submissions are judged, artists who have been chosen for the exhibit are contacted directly to drop off their work. "When selecting a student's work, I ask myself the following questions: Has the student effectively and appropriately used art materials to enhance their idea and/or concept? Have they created a deeper meaning beyond work that looks visually appealing?" said Alexis Carson, who teaches art at Penn Manor High School. "These questions assist my selection process, amongst many other qualities as it pertains to students' work."

Lancaster County Young Artists was initially run by multiple volunteers. In recent years, the Lancaster Museum of Art and the Demuth Foundation took over the management of the annual contest.

"Over the past two years, I have taken students to the museum after the exhibition opens to view their own work if it is entered, and the work of the other student artists in the area," Carson said. "This is a valuable experience for two reasons: students gain insight to what artists their age are creating and pull inspiration from that work."

For more information about the Lancaster County Young Artists Exhibit, visit http://www.demuth.org.