Expressions of Freedom Winners Announced
America 250 Alabama is proud to announce the winners of the Expressions of Freedom Art Contest, a statewide competition inviting Alabamians to reflect on the meaning of freedom through original works of art, poetry, and music.
The response to this year’s contest was extraordinary. Participants from across Alabama shared deeply personal, creative, and inspiring interpretations of freedom, citizenship, heritage, sacrifice, hope, and the American experience. Through paint, verse, and song, contestants reminded us that freedom is not merely a historical idea, it is a living story expressed uniquely by every generation.
The judges were impressed not only by the talent displayed, but also by the thoughtfulness, originality, and heartfelt reflections found in the submissions. Selecting winners proved to be a difficult task because of the remarkable quality of work received.
America 250 Alabama extends its sincere appreciation to every participant who took the time to share their creativity and perspective. Each entry contributed to a larger conversation about what freedom means in our communities, our state, and our nation. We are grateful to all who participated and helped make this inaugural contest such a success.
Congratulations to the following winners:
ADULT ORIGINAL SONG
Winner: Mike Turner
Runner-Up: Jim Pollard
ADULT PAINTING
Winner: Ken Gentle
Runner-Up: Christy LeGros
Honorable Mention: Adam McBride
PAINTING (AGES 15 & UNDER)
Winner: Crimson Wilder
Runner-Up: Katie Joseph
Honorable Mention: Keaton Glover
ADULT POETRY
Winner: Sam Calhoun
Runner-Up: Laura Bruce
Honorable Mention: David Martin, Jr
POETRY (AGES 15 & UNDER)
Winner: Maya Cooper
Runner-Up: Stella Vice
Honorable Mention: Quinn Hassenger
Winners and runners-up will receive cash awards and will be invited to have their work featured during Sweet Home 250, Alabama’s official America 250 celebration, taking place July 3–4, 2026, at American Village in Montevallo.
America 250 Alabama will be contacting award recipients directly with additional information regarding prizes, recognition opportunities, and exhibition details.
Selected winning works will be featured on the America 250 Alabama website and social media channels throughout the year.
Congratulations once again to all participants and thank you for helping tell Alabama’s story of freedom through your creativity and talent.
Adult Poetry Winner – Sam Calhoun
At the Soldier’s Grave
I press my feet in the fescue,
green with every hope,
clover like small vigils,
the sun warm on my hand,
I hear the clang of flag against pole,
two hundred and fifty times now,
like Morse code threading time,
through the fabric it spanned.
I wipe soil from the headstone,
red as poppies in the field,
red as cardinals in their nest,
red as the sky to the east.
As the day slips into evening,
No words exist to convey,
my thanks to those laid
to rest beneath my feet.
Now the night’s striped
with meteors, red like taillights,
and every star is a star still,
no matter how dim.
And in the dark a song
slips free from the trees,
a game played as kids
only in hymn:
red clover, white clover,
send the soldier on over,
blue sky, night sky,
bless you all, and goodnight.
Youth Poetry Winner – Maya Cooper
The Tail of the Dragon
The sun begins to fall away, further down in water strays,
A Green bronze dragon sinking deep, stripped from the secrets it still keeps.
Abandoned, mere piece of filth, but I watched over the place where this county was built.
So, please listen close and you will learn the Secrets of the Green Dragon Tavern.
Once I housed a Masonic lodge, whose ideas of freedom never did stop.
They talked of a country built of revolution, “Liberty or death,” the only solution.
I was the headquarters, so here they planned to fight not as “slaves” but “men”.
Revere, Warren, Hancock, and Palfrey, raged a battle against the monarchy.
In the Long Room, they planned an assault on British ships unmanned.
The Mohawks would lead the attack: pour out tea in every stack crate and sack.
92,000 pounds of tea fell! Not a leaf of tea did they take to sell.
The colony’s anger began to ignite; unity caused freedom’s torch to light.
Now listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
It was from within my very halls, the plans made, the signals, the calls.
He rode his horse past me to see one light by land and two if by sea.
His mechanics rushed to send word, calling Minutemen to assemble when heard.
The British had decided to advance, Paul Revere gave us a chance.
And because of the Alarmers, Lexington was won by farmers.
This ragtag army had prevailed against the finest army ever to have sailed.
The Declaration of Independence was made; “We the people” were no longer “enslaved.”
The war was fought for seven long years, stained in our soil: blood. sweat and tears.
The army didn’t have the best supplies, so they waited for the whites of their eyes.
America fought tooth and nail, until victory prevailed.
Into Yorktown they marched, drinking victory that had left them parched.
Through it all I stood proud and tall, the hope in freedom that could not fall.
In 1828 I was lost to time; the keeper of the tavern now you can’t find.
As I sink into the Boston harbor, I hope you will try to remember my story harder,
As I did once glow bronze and sat above a Masonic lodge.
Even if you can’t see me today, the ideals which I helped forge can never fade away.
Adult Painting Winner – Ken Gentle
Youth Painting Winner – Crimson Wilder
