Award winners have been announced for the 2026 Michiana Annual Art Competition (MAAC), now on display at the Box Factory for the Arts, 1101 Broad St., until July 5. The MAAC in the Box is a juried, fine art competition designed to recognize and reward the excellence of artists in southwestern Michigan and Northwest Indiana. More than 150 original works by 120 artists were selected for the exhibit.
Eight category awards, including painting (oil, acrylic, water-based); drawing; photography; fiber arts; 3D; mixed media, and additionally the Best of Show were presented at the MAAC Opening Reception on May 15. The Best of Show was awarded $1,500; 1st place in each category was awarded $500, and 2nd place was awarded $100.
The winner of the $1,500 Best of Show award was Mary Amador, of Goshen, IN for her acrylic painting titled “Still Here.” The juror for this year’s MAAC was Katherine Ransbottom, the Associate Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Until the closing of the show on July 5, the public can vote on the People’s Choice Award! The public can view all the art on exhibit and vote for the People’s Choice at any time and as often as they like by going to www.gogophotocontest.com/maac. Each vote cost one dollar and is a fundraiser for the Box Factory, with a goal of reaching $2,500.
Images of the award winners’ work can be viewed on our website at boxfactoryarts.org/maac/.
2026 MAAC Award Winners by Category
Best of Show:
Mary Amador, Goshen, IN, “Still Here”, acrylic painting
Acrylic Painting:
1st Place – Robert Hixon, Three Oaks, MI, “Amsterdam”
2nd Place – PJ Schenarts, Paw Paw, MI, “Rock-Like”
Drawing:
1st Place – Ramiro Rodrigues, South Bend, IN, “Flor y Canto”
2nd Place - Miranda Heward, Stevensville, MI, “The Unexpected”
Fiber Arts:
1st Place – TJ Schwartz, St. Joseph, MI, “Cry”
2nd Place – Kathleen Flanagan, Michiana Shores, MI, “Caliente!”
Mixed Media:
1st Place – Honore Lee, Grand Haven, MI, “Remains”
2nd Place – Carol Myers, Watervliet, MI, “Singing My Grief to the Wind”
Oil Painting:
1st Place – Thomas Pauly, Three Oaks, MI, “Late Afternoon”
2nd Place – Gary Gnidovic, Dowagiac, MI, “Still Life with Black Bowl”
Photography
1st Place – Eric Fung, Stevensville, MI, “Whity”
2nd Place – John Gatto, Stevensville, MI, “Elizabeth, Portrait of an Unstill Life”
Three-Dimensional
1st Place – Mary Whalen, Richland, MI, “Keepsake 2026”
2nd Place – Marcia Perry, Saugatuck, MI, “Rising”
Watercolor Painting
1st Place – Chad Eckersley, Coloma, MI, “Flowers in the Fireplace”
2nd Place – Dori Josimovich, Stevensville, MI, “Going Fishing”
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and the following sponsors making this yearly exhibition possible: Visit Southwest Michigan, Sherwood S. Snyder, Honor Credit Union, Miller Johnson Schroeder PLC, The John DeVries Insurance Agency, and Oscar’s Printing.
