Three prize winners chosen in county fair poster contest


ANIMAL ANTICS—This art by Hannah Ellsberry, 17, of Camarillo placed second in the Ventura County Fair’s 2019 poster contest. Courtesy photo

ANIMAL ANTICS—This art by Hannah Ellsberry, 17, of Camarillo placed second in the Ventura County Fair’s 2019 poster contest. Courtesy photo

This marks the 10th year of the annual Ventura County Fair poster contest for students in grades five through 12.

Artists were tasked not only with interpreting the event’s “A Country Fair with Ocean Air” theme, but with conveying what the fair means to them.

All of the artwork will be on display in the Youth Expo at the fair, running July 31 to Aug. 11 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Three prize winners were selected from 58 entries. Here are their stories.

First prize: Daríanna Vásquez of Santa Paula

I am 18 years old. I go to Vista Real Charter School.

My main hobby and passion is art. I use primarily color pencil, acrylic and oil paint.

I’m planning to go to Ventura College and I hope to pursue a possible career in graphic design.

My parents have taken me to the Ventura County Fair since I was very little and we go almost every year.

My favorite part has always been going to see the art/ photography displays and seeing all of the different animal pens.

Second prize: Hannah Ellsberry of Camarillo

I am a 17-year-old Camarillo resident and a student of Gorman Learning Center, completing both 11th and 12th grades this year.

I haven’t decided fully what I want to do now, but I think I might pursue becoming either a 3-D animator or an illustrator.

Ever since I was little the fair has been one of my favorite annual traditions that my family has. I especially enjoy going to visit all the animals and walking through the garden displays.

I don’t really have much interest in any of the games or rides besides the Ferris wheel. I find it to be an exhilarating experience to reach the top and be able to see the mountains and the ocean in one clear view.

I enjoy going into the art pavilion and just taking time to look at each piece on display and analyzing all the small details, appreciating the amount of time and effort each artist put into their displayed piece.

Third prize: Jorja Garcia of Oxnard

I am 14 years old and I attend Hueneme High School, finishing up my freshman year.

Last year, I had sold over $2,000 worth of my artwork for an academic summit at Harvard University.

In the future, I hope to attend a four-year university on the East Coast or here in California studying topics like biology or mathematics while also furthering my skills in visual/fine arts.

Growing up with the fair, I have enjoyed heart-racing rock concerts, amazing food like funnel cakes and kettle corn and adrenaline rushes from carnival rides.