Celebration of community is at the heart of AwesomeFest, even down to the event artwork.

To celebrate the many talented artists who call our community home, this February we did a call out to Eastmark residents (age 15 and older) to draft their own rendition of the 2018 Eastmark AwesomeFest event poster.

We’ve reviewed the fantastic batch of innovative and inspiring poster submissions, and we’re pleased to say we’ve selected a winner.

Drum roll please…we are excited to announce Ryan Crain as the first place winner.

Congratulations, Ryan. Your artwork truly captures the creativity and merriment of AwesomeFest.

Not only will Ryan receive a $1,000 prize for his contest win, but his artwork will also serve as the face of AwesomeFest 2018.

“My goal for this year’s AwesomeFest poster art was to create an overarching sense of excitement and whimsy, choosing broad characters that would convey the fun, family-friendly spirit of the celebration,” Ryan says. “I wanted to use my gift of art to create high level professional images to represent our community in the best way possible.”

Ryan and his wife Chandra (who’s also an artist), are proud first-time homeowners living in Innovation Park. They will experience their inaugural AwesomeFest this April.

In his professional life, Ryan uses his creative talents in the TV and film industries and has worked on projects like “The Matrix,” “Silicon Valley,” “Wahlburgers,” and HBO’s “VICE.”

We’d also like extend three cheers to Madeline Markus, who was the contest’s second place winner (use the right arrow on the poster above to see Madeline’s artwork). Madeline is an NAU art student, who heard about the contest through her sister who lives at Eastmark; and she has enjoyed many events in our communiity. She will be awarded a cool $500 prize for her artwork submission.

AwesomeFest questions? The Community Life Team is happy to help.