This Year’s OVA was EPIC

Written By Nisk Art Friends

Niskayuna CSD proudly celebrated another incredible year participating in the Olympics of the Visual Arts (OVA). This year, 64 students across 17 teams represented our district sporting a unique Nisky T-shirt provided by Nisk Art Friends. The entourage included two elementary teams, eight middle school teams, and seven high school teams.

OVA is a statewide competition which challenges students to think creatively, collaborate, and problem-solve through a variety of artistic prompts. All our Nisky student artists rose to the occasion with originality, dedication, and innovation to compete in a pool of 207 teams and 888 students.

Congratulations to all our 2026 Nisky award winners for their hard work, creativity and teamwork:

  • First Place – Illustration (Middle School) Lyra Bourdon, Lilja Edwards, Abbie Felpel

  • First Place – Illustration (High School) Rosemary Ottati, Mia Ozgur, Abbey Scherbyn, Claire Younkin

  • First Place – Sculpture (Elementary) Rayna Ghimire, Hudson Laser

  • Third Place – Drawing (Middle School) Norah Ford, Annabelle Madsen, Lucia Ockerman, Suzanne (Bean) Rooney, Liliana Seeger, Maisie Solomon, Evie Szeli

Nisk Art Friends

At Nisk Art Friends, our vision is to inspire Niskayuna K-12 students to connect and create art through exceptional opportunities and experiences. Together, our members and sponsors can make a meaningful difference in the lives of Niskayuna students and our community's artistic landscape.

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