Way to Go!: Paulina Trzonkowska of West Babylon and Isabelle Lin of Manhasset

Students from West Babylon High School and Manhasset High School won the top two spots in the 22nd annual “Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at the Heckscher Museum of Art” contest.

West Babylon senior Paulina Trzonkowska received the best-in-show award for her colored-pencil work titled “Too Close.” Manhasset junior Isabelle Lin’s painting, titled “Two Flags,” took second place.

Third place went to Hicksville High School senior Estefanie Arrue for her mixed-media artwork titled “Female Reconstruction.” Valley Stream Central High School senior Rico Ford was awarded fourth place for his colored-pencil work titled “Pair of Kings.”

The contest, coordinated by the Huntington museum, received 385 entries from a record 62 high schools across Nassau and Suffolk counties. The juried selection narrowed the field to 80 works that are being featured in the museum through April 15.

“Every year, the caliber of artwork is more impressive and the artists’ statements increasingly more creative and thoughtful,” said Joy Weiner, the museum’s director of education. “It is a challenge to choose the best of the best.”

Visitors can see all of the artwork submitted to this year’s competition on a digital display in the museum. The Huntington-based department store Mitchells also will display select images from the exhibit in its windows starting in mid-April.

— MICHAEL R. EBERT

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.