Winning Artists Announced In Engage Toms River Challenge

Toms River, NJ -- If you had 72 hours to produce a piece of art following a specific theme, what would you do?

Nearly 70 artists showed what they could do with 72 hours and an idea. On Friday, the best of the best from those entries were announced at the Engage Toms River 2016 Great Arts Challenge.

The contest, one in an ongoing series of art contests sponsored by the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation to revive the arts culture in Toms River, featured the categories of music, poetry, sculpture, painting and photography was open to Ocean County residents, 18 or older.

From the 70 entries, a group of judges narrowed the choices to the top three in each category. From there, the top three were voted on by the public.

• BEST PAINTING: Jim Houba
• BEST SCULPTURE: Veronica and Genaro Vega
• BEST POEM: Heidi Hodges
• BEST SONG: Karla Ivarson
• BEST PHOTOGRAPH: Heather Pryce

Each winner received a $1,500 prize. Heather Pryce received an additional $2,500 as the top vote-getter among all the winners.

“Each time we run an Engage Toms River competition, we are overwhelmed by the amount of participants and the talent in our community," said Jeremy Grunin, executive director of the Grunin Foundation. "This contest was particularly special to us as it focused on remembering our veterans. To hear the personal, heartfelt stories behind each work of art was very moving.”

All competition participants were celebrated at a summer BBQ reception on July 1 at Mancini Hall in the Ocean County Library.

The winners’ artwork will be displayed all summer at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library.

Visit www.engagetomsriver.com to view all of the entries.

Heather Pryce's photograph, following the contest theme "Remembering Our Veterans," was the top vote-getter at in the Great Arts Challenge. Photo via Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation