LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One lucky student was surprised at her school on Wednesday morning with news that she had won a state-wide art competition.
Hadley Klusman beat out nearly 200 other Kentucky students to win the 37th annual "Horsing Around With Art" competition.
Kentucky Derby Museum and Mercy Academy leaders presented Klusman with a dozen roses and the news that she was the Grand Prize Winner for 2023.
She also received the "Spring Day Race Experience" prize package from Churchill Downs, which includes a race named after her, a table on Millionaires Row, and an opportunity to give a trophy to the first place horse and jockey.
The Museum also awarded Mercy Academy with a $500 prize for art supplies.
This prestigious award goes to the artist whose work best captures the spirit of the Kentucky Derby, according to Derby Museum officials.
The Mercy Academy junior's artwork, entitled “Roses & Juleps," showcases several iconic Kentucky Derby traditions all in one still-life composition.
Churchill Downs Racetrack President, Mike Anderson, said Klusman's piece embodied simple elegance and "captures the essence of the Kentucky Derby."
Her winning artwork will be professionally framed and put on display at the Museum for the next year.
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