Thurston County’s third annual art contest drew 81 submissions from 70 artists across all zip-codes of Thurston County.
Eleven of those artists were celebrated Tuesday as the official winners of Thurston County’s 2026 Art Contest.
“This year’s entries showcased an incredible range of creativity, skill and perspective from artists across our community,” said Matthew Rounsley, executive aide to Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier, during a short awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 23.
This year’s contest invited Thurston County staff members and county residents to submit art in any medium based upon the theme “Thurston in Motion.”
The theme aimed to “Capture the energy and movement of Thurston County, including its changing seasons, active communities, and evolving landscapes,” Thurston County stated on its website.
Artwork was dropped off in late May and was displayed for public voting online and in a gallery at the Thurston County Atrium in mid June.
Awards were given to the artworks that received the most votes online and in the gallery. The Thurston County Board of Commissioners also selected several pieces to receive honorable mentions for their overall creativity and skill. Over 150 people participated in the gallery vote and over 2,000 votes were tallied in the online people’s choice voting.
The winning artworks were:
People’s Choice Gallery Voting
People’s Choice Online Voting
Commissioners’ Honorable Mentions:
Contest organizers congratulated the winners on Tuesday and thanked everyone who submitted artwork for the contest.
“Your artwork helps tell the story of Thurston County and reminds us of the many ways people experience and call this place home,” said Taylor Rome, executive aide to Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia.
Artist Pam Stoutenburg thanked Rome and Rounsley for their work executing the contest, and spoke about how the contest helped her get out of an intense artist’s block.
“It ended up being the thing that resparked me and reenergized my artistic brain,” she said Tuesday. “The theme just got me to generate some really nice ideas and I started to paint and the paint just flowed.”
While she acknowledged how difficult it is for artists to put their work out there, Stoutenburg said the Thurston County Art Contest is an accessible way for local artists to take that first leap.
“You’re really competing against great artists in your own community and that’s really impactful and really meaningful,” Stoutenburg said.
For more information about the 2026 art contest and future Thurston County art contests, visit https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/thurston-county-art-contest
