Results of the 2026 Student Art Contest

The winners of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation’s (ACLC) 2026 Student Art Contest were announced on Saturday, July 18 after the NY Annual Loon Census. Caiden Combs, an 11th grader at Long Lake Central School won the high school category, and Ryleigh Bassrab, a 7th grade home school student from Keene won the middle school category.

Caiden Combs, 11th grader at Long Lake Central School, won the high school award. Photo by Chris Peirce

Ryleigh Bassrab, 7th grade home school student from Keene, won the middle school award. Photo by Chris Peirce

This year’s contest theme was “Loons in the Ecosystem” and students were encouraged to interpret that idea any way they wanted in any visual arts medium. Nine high school submissions and 15 middle school submissions from schools throughout the Adirondack Park were judged by ACLC board members who considered both technique and how well the piece interpreted the theme.

For Caiden’s piece, one board member said, “The student put plenty of thought into this work before proceeding. Air, lake surface, and underwater are all important in loon ecosystems. The prey (fishes) are important to the theme, and the motion of the loon itself is riveting.”

One board member liked Ryleigh’s piece because “I liked the design. The simple black and white with just the red eye was stylized. The clean lines of the adult and fuzzy baby was also a cool detail, especially in this medium,” and another board members said, “I admire that they used a print method for their piece, and the drawing and graphic design nature of their print is very successful.”

The high school winner was awarded a scholarship of $500 and the middle school winner a scholarship of $250.

All submissions will be on display in the Loon Center through July, and you can see each submission in the gallery below.

*Many images below show numbers that were used to identify the artwork anonymously for judges.