Caryss Silva, a student at Harrison School for the Arts in Lakeland, is a quarterfinalist in the national Bob Ross Presents America’s Most Artistic Kid competition.
The competition carries on the legacy of Ross, host of the PBS show “The Joy of Painting,” who died in 1995. Proceeds from the voting benefit Blood Cancer United.
Parents enter their children’s work into the online competition. Visitors can cast a single vote at no charge or make donations of up to $250 for multiple votes on the contest’s website, https://artistickid.org. Voting for the semifinalists ends April 9 at 7 p.m.
The People’s Choice winner, the artist receiving the most votes, will receive $20,000 and appear in a special episode of “The Joy of Painting with Nicholas Hankins.” The winner’s work will also be displayed in the Minnetrista Museum in Muncie, Indiana.
Hankins will also select an entrant as Artist’s Pick to have their work displayed in the Minnetrista Museum.
Silva, 16 and a sophomore in the visual arts program, specializes in pencil sketching, watercolor and oil, according to her profile on the contest website. She initially taught herself by watching tutorials on drawing and later has attended a summer art camp at the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art in Lakeland, her mother, Michelle Valdivia, said by email.
Silva’s work was included in a 2023 student surrealist art exhibit, “The Shape of Dreams,” at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. She has been awarded a Gold Key in the Polk County Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She won a Silver Key and an honorable mention in the 2026 contest.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland student is quarterfinalist in national online art contest
Reporting by Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
