Area art enthusiasts can support student artists at the city of Avondale’s upcoming reception highlighting annual students’ work at the Avondale Civic Center Library.

The reception will be held from 6-7 p.m. April 18 at the library, 11350 W Civic Center Drive in Avondale.

On display will be work submitted to the fifth annual Mayor Marie High School Art Contest, coordinated in conjunction with a regular scholarship competition.

The contest — sponsored by the Avondale Artist Community and the city of Avondale — was open to all Avondale graduating seniors planning to attend college. 

Students placing in the contest will receive awards. First prize is $2,000, while second and third place awards consist of $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.

“This is a great opportunity for the Avondale Municipal Art Committee to support and encourage talented youth in their creative and artistic endeavors,” City Council member Bryan Kilgore said in the release. 

Students were invited to submit works in various two- and three-dimensional media, including painting, drawing, mixed media, photography and sculpture.

Kilgore spearheaded the program’s development when he served as chair of the Municipal Arts Committee, a branch of Avondale’s local government which handles acquisition and upkeep of public art, monuments and memorials, according to the release.