Twelve students honored at Pembroke Pines arts festival. Here are the winners
This year’s Pembroke Pines Festival of the Arts saw a dozen hometown students awarded for their brushstrokes of genius.
The event’s eighth annual Student Art Competition — hosted Nov. 8-9 at the Charles F. Dodge City Center — invited kids in grades kindergarten through 12th to enter their best pieces for a chance to win cash prizes and citywide recognition.
Over 250 artworks — including collages, drawings, paintings, photography, sculptures and mixed media — were submitted from Sept. 2-Oct. 31, PPFOA announced on Instagram.
The young artists’ entries were then divided into four school grade categories — kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through eighth, and ninth through 12th — and assessed on their “artistic expression and creativity,” according to the festival’s website.
All participants were treated to free frozen yogurt from sponsor Menchie’s, but those who placed were handed ribbons and winnings ranging from $25 to $100.
The only requirement to qualify? Be a student residing in Pembroke Pines, attend an area school or be enrolled in a Pines Art and Cultural Center class.
“It’s the community engagement and the spirit of it ... just like our neighborhood kids being able to come out,” said Holly Bonkowski, the city’s assistant director of cultural arts. “The kids get to come up on stage and our mayor and our commission are there to give them the award, so it’s really exciting for them.”
Check out the young artists who placed at Pembroke Pines Festival of the Arts Student Art Competition.
Grades K-2:
- First place: Sophia Shvedchykova – “Rainbow Boat” (Pembroke Pines Charter FSU Campus, second grade)
- Second place: Rohil Arya – “Majestic Mountain” (Somerset Academy, second grade)
- Third place: Sophia Gomes – “Petals in Paris” (Pembroke Pines Charter Central, second grade)
Grades 3-5:
- First place: Abigail Gonzalez-Sierra – “A Tulip in a Million” (Franklin Academy, fifth grade)
- Second place: Valentina Hernandez – “Peek-A-Boo!” (Pembroke Pines Art & Cultural Center, fifth grade)
- Third place: Oliver Dong – “Jellyfish” (Lakeside Elementary, third grade)
Grades 6-8:
- First place: Iyene Isaac – “Blonde Glamour” (Pembroke Pines Resident-NSU University School, seventh grade)
- Second place: Ronak Arya – “Piazza del Colosseo” (Somerset Academy, eighth grade)
- Third place: Aanya Amith Ambale – “Sole-ful Expressions” (Pembroke Pines Charter Academic Village, sixth grade)
Grades 9-12:
- First place: Lisa Marie Martinez – “At the Pet Store” (West Broward High School, 12th grade)
- Second place: Janine Trewick – “Musical Alien” (Somerset Arts Conservatory, 12th grade)
- Third place: Gemely Cruz-Trinidad – “The Expression of a Bengal Tiger” (Pembroke Pines resident-homeschooled, 10th grade)
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 8:35 AM.
