LAYTON—Budding artists in Davis County have the chance to share their talents in the Davis Arts Council’s (DAC) annual Student Art Competition & Exhibit that opened Nov. 13 and runs through Jan. 7, 2026 at the Snow Horse Art Gallery inside the Davis Conference Center. The winning pieces were announced at an opening reception held that night.

“We’ve been doing it for a number of years,” said Emilio Casillas, director of programming. “It was started by a board member of ours, Chad Hancey. From the very beginning the idea behind the art show was just an opportunity for student artists to share their work with the community.”

Casillas said one of the things he loves about the show that makes them stand out from most of the others in the state is the show itself is unadjudicated. “That means we aren’t choosing what pieces are displayed. Most art shows have a review process where students submit their art and then it’s reviewed to decide whether it even gets to be shown or not.”

Then there’s judging for prizes on top of that, he said. “For us we accept every single art piece that meets our basic criteria as far as size and content and that sort of thing. We hang everything which means it’s a really special experience for students whose art otherwise doesn’t really get a chance to be shown and we’ve had really overwhelmingly positive feedback consistently from students, teachers and parents.”

DAC received 104 pieces for the show this year, said Casillas. “And that’s from Davis County students in ninth to 12th grade.”

The judges rotate each year, he said. “Typically it’s a combination of professional artists from the community who work with us in our other gallery spaces throughout the year and current and retired art teachers. They’re typically outside of Davis County just to avoid any conflict of interest.”

The panel is made up of five judges, Casillas said. “They don’t choose what art gets shown at all. They’re just reviewing for our prizes.”

The ribbon prizes, which are first through third place and some honorable mentions, are what the judges decide, he said. “The Arts Council really prides itself in what we call our purchase awards. That’s where we buy a handful of pieces every year from the show to add to our permanent collection. We keep those on display in our offices and usually one or two shows of those in our galleries at the conference center or at the Intermountain Layton Hospital.”

Casillas said they bought five pieces this year. “So counting those new pieces we have 46 pieces of student art in our collection.”

Layton High School senior, Zerthun Mekuria’s piece “Lilies of the Field” not only took second place but was purchased by DAC. “I felt really blessed,” she said. “Doing art is the main thing I enjoy.”

“Lilies of the Field” is from a teaching in the Bible, said Mekuria. “It means trusting that one can grow without effort and still be beautiful. We as human beings are born without us doing anything. It’s a reminder that our existence is beautiful. No matter what one does in life we’re all beautiful.”

Mekuria said she’s always been an artist. “When I was a kid I’d paint on the walls and be messy. I only took up painting two years ago. My painting journey has been short but I’ve been doing it (art) all my life.”

Bountiful High School senior Ben Landon won first place for his piece "A Lego."

 Bountiful High School senior Ben Landon took the top prize with his piece “A Lego.” “It’s a funny piece of me stepping on a Lego with my face in pain. My thought process was ‘who hasn’t stepped on a Lego?’”

Landon has been doing art for as long as he can remember. “When I was 2 years old my mom was painting the walls and I started eating a mouthful of paint. It’s in my blood.”

Landon won $500 for first place and Mekuria won $250 for second place. Other winners include: 

3rd place

Summer's Over by Carys Vandergrift (Bountiful High, 10th grade)

Prize: $150

3rd place

Amelia in Distress by Lily Clark (Davis High, 12th grade)

Prize: $150 

Honorable Mention

Colored by Addison Zollinger (Viewmont High, 10th grade)

Prize: $50

Honorable Mention

Escape the Mirror by Lilly Ford (Davis High, 12th grade)

Prize: $50

Honorable Mention

Untamed Elegance by Kortnee Packer (Syracuse High, 11th grade)

Prize: $50

Purchase Award

Song of the Water by Evi Allen (Northridge High, 11th grade)

Purchase Award

Skipping Class by Adam Dollar (Layton High, 12th grade)

Purchase Award

GILL-t by Kaitlin Stott (Bountiful High, 11th grade)