Click here to see video of the artwork on display.

A select group of Sacramento State students will compete for prizes, awards and recognition for their art at the Annual Student Awards Show this month.

The awards show, which opened Monday and runs through Feb. 28, will be on display at the Robert Else Gallery in Kadema Hall. The student submissions will be judged by a panel of art experts. Prizes include a voucher donated by University Art worth several hundred dollars.

Sac State professor Rachel Clarke is one of the members of the art department at Sac State who helped to choose the judges for this year’s show.

“We pick judges who have experience in the visual arts,” Clarke said, noting that this year three local high school teachers are judging the show.

The judges measure each piece individually because there are a variety of artistic media on display. The diverse entries include works in the fields of photography, painting, drawing and sculpture.

This year’s show also includes new media pieces, which refer to artwork with music, video and sound components.

Students entered their pieces in January. According to Clarke, each student is allowed to submit up to three pieces of art for the show. The judges then pick the art that will be featured in the show.

“I’ve been seeing these shows for six or seven years, and I think this is a nicely balanced group,” Clarke said.

The judges also select the winners, whose names will be revealed at a reception on Feb. 22 at the Else Gallery.

Clarke encouraged students who have not seen the show to stop by and see what their fellow students have created.

“It shows the best of what the art students of Sacramento State are doing,” Clarke said.

Clarke noted that the show also represents the variety of students on campus, since not all students in the show are art majors. The award show is open to both undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of majors.

Whatever their background, Clarke said the show gives all students an opportunity to experience the world of art competitions.

“It’s a morale boost for the students and gives them a sense of the exhibition world and the competitive nature of the exhibition world,” Clarke said.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m.

Isele Reyes can be reached at [email protected].