Pueblo -- Colorado State University - Pueblo's is pleased to announce winners of the seventh annual Arkansas River Basin Water Forum (ARBWF) contests. Photography, art, poetry, and essay entries were submitted on topics related to the Arkansas River or Valley.

Winners in the Open Photography competition were "the River in Winter" by Samantha Maytag, 1st Place ($100); "Calm Waters" by Michael Wenzl, 2nd place ($50), Pueblo; and "John Martin at Dusk" by Sam Johnson ($25), Springfield. Honorable mention was given to Brock Arnold, Tashia Gadlin and Linda Roper, all of Pueblo.

The K-12 Art competition winners were Amada Maese, Pueblo Central High School for "Current", 1st place ($20); Bryson Dyer, Pueblo School for the Arts and Sciences (PSAS) for "A Big Drink", 2nd place ($15); and Liz Lata, Summit Christian School for "A Cloudy Day on the Arkansas", 3rd place ($10). Dylan Roscover, PSAS, received honorable mention for his entry "Wetland."

Winners for the K-12 Essay competition were Anant Pradhan, Pueblo Centennial High School, 1st place for "River of Life" ($20); Garrett Graston, Pueblo's Roncalli Middle School, 2nd place for "Arkansas River" ($15); and Serwaa Adjei, Pueblo Centennial High School, 3rd place for "The Arkansas" ($10).

Poetry competition winners in K-12 were Canon City Middle School 8th grade Core One class for "Harbinger of Winter" and 8th grade Core Four class for "The River's War", 1st place ($20); Julia Martin, Pueblo Centennial High School for "An Artery on Earth", 2nd place ($15); and Darion Moncivaiz, South Park Elementary in Pueblo for "The Arkansas River", 3rd place ($10). Honorable mention was given to Naia Drubinski, Chaffee County High School in Buena Vista for "Flow of Life"; Megan Asbury, St. John Neumann Elementary School in Pueblo for "The Arkansas River"; Diana Peregrino, Bradford Elementary in Pueblo for "Arkansas Attributes"; and Santana Lucero, Bessemer Academy in Pueblo.

The 1st place winner for the National Park Service Historical Art Contest in the elementary division was a poster entitled "The Arkansas: A 'River-Walk' Through History" by Jane Hardy, St. John Neumann Elementary School in Pueblo.

Winners for the National Park Service Historical Art Contest in the secondary division were Anthony Hernandez, Pueblo's Heaton Middle School for his oil painting entitled "Five Flags over the Arkansas", 1st place; and Taylor Perse, Pueblo Central High School for a framed collage entitled "River at Risk", 2nd place.

The contest was co-sponsored by the University and the CSU Extension Service.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.