STATE COLLEGE — The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has announced the recipients of $675 in awards for the 2026 Arts Festival Banner Competition and Exhibition.
A beloved Festival tradition, the Banner Competition showcases the creativity of local and regional artists while adding vibrant color and energy to the streets of downtown State College.
Suspended above the Festival grounds, the banners have become an iconic part of the Arts Festival’s visual identity, welcoming visitors and creating the festive atmosphere that has defined the event for six decades. The winning banners, along with the other competition entries, were displayed throughout the festival, where they were enjoyed by the more than 125,000 people who attend the annual event.
Award winners were selected from 11 banner entries by a panel of jurors that included Cindy Rutschky, Rebecca Trunzo, and Leslie Demmert.
In the General Class, first place was awarded to Zoe Martin of State College for her acrylic-on-canvas banner, A Labor of Friendship. Second place was awarded to Karen Norris and Colleen Shaffer of State College for their collaborative hand-and machine-appliquéd banner, Clawdia Goes to Arts Fest. Third place was awarded to Lynn Stewart of Altoona for her painted canvas banner, Stained Glass Fish.
The Professional Class featured two remarkable artists whose banner creations have become a cherished part of the Arts Festival landscape. Marty Edmunds has exhibited banners at the festival since 1981, while Joanie Eyster has participated since 1994. Their decades-long commitment to the competition — and the enduring quality of their work —represent an extraordinary legacy that has helped shape the festival’s signature look.
Working in distinctly different media yet demonstrating exceptional artistry and craftsmanship, both artists impressed this year’s jurors. Unable to select one over the other, the panel unanimously chose to award co-first-place honors in recognition of their artistic excellence and longstanding contributions to the festival.
Co-first-place honors in the Professional Class were awarded to Marty Edmunds of Boalsburg for her appliquéd fabric banner, Chef Jester Bakes the Anniversary Cake, and to Joanie Eyster of State College for her acrylic-painted banner, Oh My Darling.
The awards were presented during the Arts Festival Awards Ceremony on July 11 as part of the 60th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
The festival receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Additional funding is provided through a grant made possible by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the Centre County Commissioners.
