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painting of bright red cardinal sitting on a snowy tree branch A bright red cardinal sitting on a snowy tree branch won the 2024 Black Hawk College Foundation Holiday Card Contest.

“The First Snowfall” – an acrylic painting on canvas by Angela Naomi Cortes of East Moline – is gracing the cover of the foundation’s official holiday card for the 2024 holiday season. She also was the runner-up in the 2023 contest.

Cortes’ artwork was chosen from nine BHC student entries. She received a $350 scholarship from the foundation to go toward tuition, books, supplies and fees for Spring 2025.

smiling student looking at camera and holding holiday card

Cortes is pursuing an Associate in Arts and plans to transfer to a four-year university after graduating from Black Hawk College. Her favorite mediums to use in her artwork are paint and charcoal.

Runner-up Anna Pustejovsky of Geneseo received a $150 scholarship for “Christmas Frog.”