Where I Feel Most “Me”
Where I Feel Most “Me”
Community Youth Photography Competition + Juried Digital Exhibition
On view through March 29, 2026 in The Museum of Art + Light’s Gather Together Lounge (First Floor)
About the Competition
Middle school, high school, and college students within a 150-mile radius of Manhattan, Kansas were invited to submit digital images for consideration to be included in this temporary digital exhibition at the Museum of Art + Light. The Museum received 170 submitted entries—26 were selected for this temporary digital display.
This project was inspired by themes on view in Crafting Sanctuaries: Black Spaces of the Great Depression South—an exhibition of Works Progress Administration-era black-and-white photographs taken during the 1930s that reflect upon ideas of place, community, home, and rebuilding the future.
Where I Feel Most “Me” competition and temporary exhibition project asked youth photographers to present visual descriptions that define place, home, and community and/or tell a personal story using an original photographic image.
Photographs were assessed and selected for this competition and exhibition by guest curators/jurors Dwan Miller and Marlin Watson—both are professional regional photographers with connections to Manhattan, Kansas and are owners of Dwan Miller Photography and Marlin Companion Projects.
Three student works received 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Awards in the competition—their works will be projected on the exterior of the building as part of a rotation of images.
The complete list of students accepted into the exhibition (along with their photograph) can be found here.
Photography Competition Winners
Ava Pritchard
1st Place Competition Winner
Grade 9-12
Herington High School
Herington, Kansas
McKenna Mallean
2nd Place Competition Winner
Grade 9-12
Manhattan High School
Manhattan, KS
Anders Benson
3rd Place Competition Winner
Grade 9-12
Lawrence Free State High School
Lawrence, Kansas
Exhibition Participants Include:
Zoey Bauer, Manhattan High School
Anders Benson, Lawrence Free State High School
Finn Carver, Herington High School
Dylan Collard, Manhattan Virtual Academy
Jersey Curry, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Naomi Delgado, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Mariete Ebumbe, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Ophelia Fitzner, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Michael Furey, Blue Valley High School
Madison Gregory, Topeka West High School
Kelsey Hernandez, Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts
William Hitch, Topeka West High School
Imana Humehoynewa, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Sarah Khelouz, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Christian Lang, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School
Nicole Lu, Blue Valley High School
McKenna Mallean, Manhattan High School
Alejandro Mathews-Ortiz, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Ella Nelson, Herington High School
Kameron O’Keeffe, Topeka West High School
Ava Pritchard, Herington High School
Jackson Reaka, Topeka West High School
William Scharfe, Manhattan High School
Hallei Shelton, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Ava Smith, Valley Heights Jr.Sr. High School
Duncan Yardley, Topeka West High School
Projection Celebration for Student Photography Competition
On Monday, January 19th, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the Museum Atrium & Parking Lot, celebrate with the winners of the Youth Digital Photography Competition!
Come see the top three student projections illuminated on the building’s exterior starting at 5:00 p.m. Grab a hot beverage in the Museum atrium, view the “Where I Feel the Most Me” exhibition on a screen in the Gather Lounge, then head outside.
The top three competition images, created by students Ava Prichard, Herington High School (1st Place); McKenna Mallean, Manhattan High School (2nd Place); and Anders Benson, Lawrence Free State High School (3rd Place) will be projected nightly after January 19 on the Museum of Art + Light building as part of a rotation of projected images.
Closing Reception
Sunday, March 29, 3-5 p.m. (floors two and three are FREE)
Join us for a closing reception celebrating these young artists.
Meet the jurors, who will share brief remarks about the selected works on this display.
Visit the Related Exhibition
Explore Crafting Sanctuaries: Black Spaces of the Great Depression South—the inspiration for this competition—on view now at the Museum of Art + Light.