SURF CITY, NC - Sofia Curtis, an eighth grade student at Surf City Middle School, earned first place honors in the North Carolina Federal Junior Duck Stamp 2023 Art Competition.
Curtis was one of five Surf City Middle students to place in the grade 7-9 group of the competition. Caiya Medlin and Taylor Wyllie earned second place while Julia Clark and Anna Law placed third along with Topsail High School ninth-grader James Russell.
127 students participated in this year’s competition. The contest is open to all students K-12 and is first judged within the student’s State of residence and then the Best-of-Show Winner of each State competes to become the National Winner.
Ashley Zhang of Charlotte, NC won Best-of-Show with a colored pencil depiction of a Northern Shoveler.
A total of 23 Surf City Middle art students earned an honorable mention.
Group 2 (Grades 3-6)
Honorable Mention
Matthew Edens, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Leola Forde, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Kian Freidhoff, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Mya Hart, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Parker Knipping, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Parker Monaghan, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Emmalee Timaeus, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Dannika Unger, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Mateo Valencia, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Luella Viskovic, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Group 3 (Grades 7-9)
Top Honorable Mention
Grayden LaCorte, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Honorable Mention
Levi Brooker, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Tristan Carano, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
William Cherry, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Brielle DaMatta-Gossett, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Colton Johnson, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Brooke McClellan, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Ansley Moore, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Gabriel Radewicz, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Sebastian Ramirez, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Brandon Sample, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Oliver Shields, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead
Sade Williams, Surf City Middle School, Hampstead