Kentuck Judges Award $12,200 to 15 Artists, Here’s Where to Find the Winners Sunday

Clay artist Luis Gutierrez took Best in Show at the 55th Kentuck Festival of the Arts, one of 15 artists who split $12,200 in prize money awarded by judges Saturday.

Every winner is exhibiting again Sunday, when the festival runs until 4 p.m. at Snow Hinton Park. Booth numbers are listed below.

Judges Timothy Weber and Kim Mitchell scored exhibitors numerically on quality, originality, design, composition, technique and overall presentation.

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Best in Show

Luis Gutierrez, clay, booth B-46

Award of Distinction

Kristin Schillaci, photography, A-60
Danilo Vinardell, mixed media, A-41

Merit Awards

• Astou Dioum, fiber, A-22 and A-23
• Erikan Ekefrey, mixed media, B-25
• John Fesken, mixed media, A-55
• Jackie Haliburton, mixed media, B-48
• Monica Iversen, two-dimensional, C-25
• Liping “Penny” Jackson, two-dimensional, C-19
• Ronald Lewis, two-dimensional, A-52
• Don McWhorter, clay, A-15
• Ashley Sauder Miller, fiber, D-45
• Scott Vaughn Owen, mixed media, B-29
• Angie Spears, mixed media, B-22
• Jason Stoddard, jewelry, A-42

If You’re Going

Sunday is the last day of the festival, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 270 artists are exhibiting. Single-day tickets are $15 and children 12 and under get in free with a paying adult. Tickets are available at the front gate.

General admission parking is on the north side of Snow Hinton Park between the park and University Mall, with a free shuttle running from the University Mall lot.

Kentuck was named the sixth-best festival in the country this month in the Fine Art and Design category of Sunshine Artist Magazine’s 2026 “200 Best,” a ranking built from the sales artists reported earning at each show in 2025, and is celebrating its 55th edition in Tuscaloosa this weekend.

For more exclusive coverage of arts and culture in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.