The Shoreline Arts Alliance will hold the 32nd annual juried competition and exhibition of student art, Future Choices 2016, from Wednesday, Feb. 17 through Tuesday, March 8 at the Sill House Gallery of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The artists’ reception and awards presentation will be held on Sunday, Feb. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m .with awards being presented at 3:45 p.m. in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery. The co-chairpersons for this competition and exhibition are Kathleen Bidney Singewald and Jackie Fastaia.

This competition and exhibition is open to all high school students in grades 9 through 12 who live or attend school in these Connecticut towns represented by Shoreline Arts Alliance:

• Branford

• Chester

• Clinton

• Cromwell

• Deep River

• Durham

• East Haven

• East Hampton

• East Lyme

• Essex

• Guilford

• Haddam

• Killingworth

• Lyme

• Madison

• Middlefield

• Middletown

• North Branford

• Old Lyme

• Old Saybrook

• Portland

• Salem

• Westbrook

Home schooled students and boarding students are also invited to participate in this competition and exhibition. This will be the fourteenth year that this student show will be held at the Sill House Gallery of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. Presenting this exhibition of the best high school art in the region served by Shoreline Arts Alliance provides an opportunity for aspiring young artists.

Students interested in submitting work for this show should contact their high school art teacher or Shoreline Arts Alliance at 203-453-3890 or donita@shorelinearts.org.

Submissions will be accepted on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and Thursday, Feb. 11, with a snow date of Friday, Feb. 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Sill House Gallery of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, 84 Lyme Street, Old Lyme. If unable to drop off on these dates, contact Shoreline Arts Alliance by phone or email to make other arrangements. Students may submit up to three works of art; the submission fee is $5 per piece.

In 2015 more than $50,000 in cash awards, prizes, and scholarships were presented. Awards for Best in Show and First, Second and Third Place in the categories of Ceramics, Digital Animation, Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Prints, and Sculpture are determined by the judges. In addition, the Judy Streeter Outstanding Art Award will be presented to an area high school in recognition of their arts programming. A new award in memory of Ruth Baxter, who co-chaired this program for many years, will be presented for the second year.

Sponsors to date for Future Choices 2016 are Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts: A College of the University of New Haven, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and Connecticut Office of the Arts.

This information provided by The Shoreline Arts Alliance.