{"id":303525,"date":"2026-05-07T01:20:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/303525\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T01:20:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:20:21","slug":"high-school-artists-win-1k-in-financial-literacy-contest-the-oakland-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/303525\/","title":{"rendered":"High school artists win $1k in financial literacy contest \u2013 The Oakland Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

By The Oakland Press<\/p>\n

Four Oakland County high school students earned $1,000 each for their winning artwork depicting financial decision-making and literacy in Oakland County\u2019s annual art contest.<\/p>\n

In it\u2019s 15th year, the 2026 contest attracted 153 original drawings, paintings, photos, mixed media pieces, videos and illustrations from students in 18 schools on the theme of financial empowerment and literacy. It was the second highest number of submissions for the contest, sponsored this year by county treasurer\u2019s office, Oakland Schools, Flagstar Bank and the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency.<\/p>\n

\"WinningWinning entry, titled “Level Up Financial Freedom,” by Avery Feldman, 11th grader at Rochester High School. (Oakland County Treasurer’s office)<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations to this year\u2019s winners and to every student who submitted their work for the 15th annual contest. Each entry reflects a unique perspective on financial decision-making and the importance of financial empowerment,\u201d said Oakland Treasurer Robert Wittenberg.<\/p>\n

Winners were selected based upon how key financial concepts such as budgeting, saving, investing and planning were communicated.<\/p>\n

\"WinningWinning entry, titled “On One Hand,” by Ava Wagner, 10th grader at Waterford Mott High School. (Oakland County Treasurer’s office)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe year\u2019s contest submissions showcased the diversity of perspectives on budgeting, saving, investing, and planning for the future,\u201d said Lisa Brownfield, a relationship manager at Flagstar Bank. \u201cThe students\u2019 artwork is truly inspiring and we\u2019re proud to celebrate the incredible creativity of Oakland County\u2019s high school students.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winning students will receive cash prizes from a $10,000 contest fund provided by Flagstar Bank, and their artwork will be displayed for a year in the treasurer\u2019s office and featured online with all student entries.<\/p>\n

\"WinningWinning entry, titled “The Money Plant Wealth Or Wither,” by Rishika Pradhap, 9th grader at the International Academy. (Oakland County Treasurer’s office)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe artwork submitted this year reflects the talent, insight, and perspective of Oakland County students, while reinforcing the importance of financial decision-making, independence, and long-term planning. We congratulate all of the winners and thank Treasurer Wittenberg, Flagstar Bank, and OLHSA for investing in opportunities that help students build skills for their future,\u201d said Oakland Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gutman.<\/p>\n

The cash prizes are $1,000\u00a0 for first place, $750 for second,\u00a0 $500 for third\u00a0 and $100 for honorable mentions. The winners are:<\/p>\n

12th Grade<\/p>\n

First Place: Olivia Beltran, Rochester High School<\/p>\n

Second Place: Tyler Toth, Lake Orion High School<\/p>\n

Third Place: Annie Zhao, International Academy<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions: Gabriel Barkas, Novi High School; Amelia Meier, Rochester High School; Sayani Palomet, Rochester High School<\/p>\n

11th Grade<\/p>\n

First Place: Avery Feldman, Rochester High School<\/p>\n

Second Place: Vivianne Muehlheim, Oakland Schools Technical Campus \u2013 NW<\/p>\n

Third Place: Daphne Smid, Lake Orion High School<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions: Daniel Dimitry, Rochester High School; Avery Nieset, Oakland Schools Technical Campus \u2013 SW; Eunchae Shin, Rochester High School<\/p>\n

10th Grade<\/p>\n

First Place: Ava Wagner, Waterford Mott High School<\/p>\n

Second Place: Ishan Irfan, Troy Athens High School<\/p>\n

Third Place: Ellie Rupert, Rochester High School<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions: Reese Mowrey, Lake Orion High School; Isabella Sorenson, Lake Orion High School<\/p>\n

9th Grade<\/p>\n

First Place: Rishika Pradhap, International Academy<\/p>\n

Second Place: Nina Howitt, Lake Orion High School<\/p>\n

Third Place: Savannah Tedder, Troy Athens High School<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions: Evy Bednar, Rochester High School; Taein Kang, Rochester Adams High School<\/p>\n

For more information about the 2026 contest and to view this year\u2019s submissions, visit the Oakland County Treasurer\u2019s website at oakgov.com\/arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By The Oakland Press Four Oakland County high school students earned $1,000 each for their winning artwork depicting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[387,15,181,23,795,100,143,904,145,144],"class_list":["post-303525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-business","tag-education","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-michigan","tag-news","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-county","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}