The following 13 students have been named semifinalists for the 2026 Artist of the Year in media arts from a field of 79 nominees.
Students were selected by a panel of educators based on portfolios, technical skill, innovation and written statements, reflecting a wide range of digital and multimedia practices.
As in other disciplines, students are grouped into two divisions based on their level of training, helping ensure access for artists at different stages of development.
In the semifinal round, students will present their work and discuss their creative process with panels of professionals and college faculty.
From this group, three finalists and one Artist of the Year in media arts will be selected.
Finalists and Artists of the Year will be announced live at an awards celebration on May 13 at the Samueli Theatre on the campus of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The event will feature performances and presentations by the seven top students and is free to attend with a reservation.
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Shiloh Ahrens, senior, Beckman High School
Division 1
Shiloh Ahrens of Tustin, a senior at Beckman High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Shiloh Ahrens)
“Photography is interesting because it can be simple or complex. Building a scene requires considering lighting, props, time, setting, and equipment, and making these elements work together towards your goal is definitely a challenge. Through trial and error, I have learned the impact of each and every one of the parts on the mood of an image. Tackling a specific idea takes both imagination and intentional planning.”
Eli Caro, junior, Westminster High School
Division 1
Eli Caro of Westminster, a junior at Westminster High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Eli Caro)
“What fascinates me most is how artists are able to take deeply personal feelings and transform them into something that resonates universally, whether through lyrics or drawings. In this way, they demonstrate a strength and courage that I find inspiring. Opening oneself up to the world is what artists constantly do, and in doing so, they reveal not only their own humanity but also the shared humanity in all of us.”
Alex Cartagena, senior, Orange County School of the Arts
Division 1
Alex Cartagena of Irvine, a senior at Orange County School of the Arts, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Alexandria Cartagena)
“Art, like the colors I explore, seeps into every aspect of my life and how I see the world. As I’m drawn to local environmental and social issues, digital painting allows me to advance, promote, educate, and support those efforts. Every morning when I wake up, I take photographs from my balcony of the rising sun and colorful clouds flowing across the ‘Saddleback’ peaks and then digitally reproduce them. This process makes me appreciate how stunning our county is and inspires me to take action with participation in monthly beach cleanups, plant nursery care and research, and native plant restoration.”
Victoria Quynh Vy Dinh, senior, Corona del Mar High School
Division 2
Victoria Quynh Vy Dinh of Newport Beach, a senior at Corona del Mar High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sharee Dinh)
“I have always felt a deep disconnect between my self-understanding and how others perceived or expected me to be. As an Asian American teenager and the youngest of four, I’ve often felt that my imperfections as a student, the way people fail to take me seriously, and my perceived ‘laziness’ all contribute to an underestimation of who I truly am. My pieces tend to embody this tension and other’s words that rub me the wrong way … Instead of a loud outburst, I turn to Adobe or Procreate to define my own identity and exemplify these strains in my relationships.”
Kai Fishburn, senior, Portola High School
Division 2
Kai Fishburn of Irvine, a senior at Portola High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Kai Fishburn)
“As a kid my mom would always say that my mind moved faster then my hands, which meant I was never really able to draw or paint or color well because I would have so many ideas and just move to the next one before I was satisfied. And so I lived my childhood thinking art just wasn’t for me, then I discovered 3D Animation through LEGO Blender videos and knew I finally had something I loved, something I was good at.”
Claire Garling, junior, Beckman High School
Division 1
Claire Garling of Irvine, a junior at Beckman High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Claire Garling)
“I do not see my future as an artist as a fixed destination, but as an ongoing commitment to noticing moments that might otherwise go unseen. I hope my work has a small but meaningful impact by encouraging viewers to pause, reflect, and recognize moments of connection in the world around them. I am drawn to experiences that challenge my assumptions and expand my perspective, especially unexpected intersections.Travel offers unfamiliar environments that help to slow me down and sharpen my observation, pushing me to engage more thoughtfully than in the routines of daily life.”
Makenzie Ho, senior, Beckman High School
Division 1
Makenzie Ho of Irvine, a senior at Beckman High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Paloma Figueroa)
“As a sports photographer, my journey into visual arts began with my passion for sports, specifically women’s soccer, at a young age. That passion carried to me wanting to get involved in the sports realm. As I attended many soccer matches, I would notice a lot of media people on the field, capturing the content of the game and those images would later be posted on social media or used in news articles. I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do.”
Gavriella Krause, senior, Beckman High School
Division 1
Gavriella Krause of Irvine, a senior at Beckman High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Gavriella Krause)
“From the moment I could hold a crayon, I loved art. My passion grew with me and I never found myself not wanting to create. My room became a collection of all my supplies from numerous phases of media, and my parents never once questioned my passion, instead supporting whatever I chose next. Ultimately, the most impactful part of my experience with art was simply creating it. Seeing my finished product, good or bad, motivated me to continue creating, guiding me to new opportunities and joys of life.”
Keven Morales, senior, Buena Park High School
Division 1
Keven Morales of Fullerton, a senior at Buena Park High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Josh Himbury)
“(In the future), when people think of Orange Coast College sports, I want them to think of my work. I plan to build a program that raises the standard for sports media, capturing every game, every play, and every moment with energy, passion, and purpose. I want my work to show that sports aren’t just about scores. For me, being an artist is about hard work, dedication, and pushing yourself to create something that matters. I want to inspire others to see the power of visual storytelling, and to help build a community where talented, passionate creators can make their mark. My goal is simple: leave a lasting impact through my work and help others do the same.”
Angela Nguyen, senior, Magnolia High School
Division 2
Angela Nguyen of Stanton, a senior at Magnolia High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Angela Nguyen)
“Without art, I would’ve never embraced asking for and receiving critique, a key trait for improving in any area of life. My passion for art pushed me to self-advocate; I requested to take AP Art despite it not being an available course at my school. Thanks to my initiative, I’m the only AP Art student in my school, the first in five years. The media arts taught me how to establish and strengthen communities. I volunteered at my school’s first student art gallery, creating a connection between artists at my high school and the wider community.”
Evelyn Nguyen, junior, Orange County School of the Arts
Division 1
Evelyn Nguyen of Irvine, a junior at Orange County School of the Arts, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Evelyn Nguyen)
“I adore creation, both digitally and physically. In the future, my dream is to be able to maintain my merch shop as a career, and continue to bring joy to those who share my interests. When I was a child, sometimes all I wanted was a toy that looked a certain way and did a certain thing, but it did not exist physically, so I did not get it. As of today I can make that toy. So now, not only do I create physical products from my own mind and desires, but I create charms of 16th-favorite characters, a plush toy that 10 people really wanted but had nowhere to get, and sometimes, when all the stars align, I make something for myself thinking no one but me could possibly want.”
Sarah Trinh, senior, El Dorado High School
Division 1
Sarah Trinh of Placentia, a senior at El Dorado High School, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Trinh)
“(I’ve) had a passion for art that came from my dad. Before I could properly hold a pencil, I’d watch him draw my favorite cartoon characters. Art was originally a way for me to connect with my father, and I naturally fell in love with drawing. My passion for illustration eventually overflowed into every aspect of my life, as anything from my wardrobe to school projects became an outlet for my creative expression. Graphic design has even infiltrated my academics — my class notes are carefully crafted to be visually appealing, and I’ve often hand-drawn different fonts to make section titles stand out and made demonstrative illustrations, which make notes look more like infographics.”
Eva Zhang, junior, Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Division 1
Eva Zhang of Fullerton, a junior at Fairmont Preparatory Academy, is a media arts semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Wei Jiang)
“My work focuses on relationship states that are difficult to express directly — those that are felt in everyday life before they are fully spoken or understood. Culture and the mother-daughter relationship recur in my work because they are shaped by these ongoing dynamics. Across my portfolio, they become ways of tracing how people relate to one another, to their surroundings, and to their own identities. I am interested in how these states take shape before they can be fully articulated, when emotion is present but still unsettled.”