Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Three Hartland High School students are finalists in a prestigious contest called ARTEFFECT. The trio used charcoal, pencil, paint, paper collage and other materials to celebrate an Unsung Hero’s story.

ARTEFFECT is a juried competition that offers multiple awards across various categories, totaling over $35,000 annually in financial prizes, according to its website.

"Essentially, there are 201 finalists all across, not only the United States, but spanning 15 different countries around the world," said Joshua Etheridge, art teacher at Hartland High School.

"This is big. This is probably one of the largest competitions that students at Hartland have ever done and been successful. The fact that three of them were considered finalists, was incredibly impressive."

Senior Maddie Lesnek used acrylic, clay and collage on wood to recognize Mary Anning, a 19th century English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist.

Junior Lex Grim used charcoal and graphite on a portrait of precolonial Native American leader Hiawatha, cofounder of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Sophomore Laila Dubon used colored pencil and marker to highlight Autherine Luce Foster, a civil rights activist who was the first African-American student to attend the University of Alabama, in 1956.

"I couldn't have picked better batch of students. They are so dedicated and so hard-working," said Etheridge. "It's almost like I don't have to teach them. I say hey, this is what we're going to work on. I explain. We critique. And then they go ahead and do it."

"It's like anything I give them, they just eat right up. They just want to better themselves. They're always looking for constructive criticism."

ARTEFFECT winners will be announced June 1.

More information is linked below.