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India origin student stands first in NASA annual lunar art contest
Washington:
NASA has announced the winners in its second annual NASA Lunar Art Contest,
with a student of Indian origin standing first in the High School or Secondary
School Division. The competition saw high school and college students participating
from around the globe. Pratham Karnik, from Walt Whitman High School , Rockville
, Maryland , was the top winner in the High School or Secondary School Division,
with best overall score. "Crater Core Sample," a painting by Zachary Madere of
the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Lakewood , Colo. , was judged
the best of more than 90 imaginative entries. The painting shows an astronaut
holding an icy cylinder in a darkened crater while two other astronauts look on.
This year, in addition to two-dimensional artwork and sculpture, NASA accepted
three-dimensional art and digital art, including video. The Lunar Art Contest,
sponsored by NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton , Virginia , allows students
from the creative arts disciplines to become involved with and excited about the
nation's space exploration program. "The contest also enables us to see the future
from very different and important perspectives," said Richard Antcliff, director
of Langley 's Strategic Relationships Office, which manages the art contest. A
total of 147 students from more than 70 institutions participated as teams or
individuals. More than half the entries were from high school students. Entries
were received from 25 US states, France , Poland , India and Romania . A panel
of 12 reviewers that included professional artists, scientists, engineers and
educators evaluated the entries using three criteria: the artist's statement,
creativity and artistic expression, and whether the art represented a valid scenario.
Students who won the overall and first place awards in each category will be recognized
as part of a celebration at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington that
marks the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo landing. The winning art will be
on display in the form of a digital exhibit. Afterward, the exhibit will be available
for display at NASA facilities, public venues, the students' schools and elsewhere
as requested.
