The 2015 art contest sponsored by the Manteca Garden Club will have 19 Manteca Unified high school students competing for a cash award and the honor of seeing their art work being used for the club’s posters and brochures.

Now in its second year, the competition serves as a venue for the club to find an art work that they can use to promote the annual Manteca Garden Tour held every year around Mother’s Day. The winning entry will be displayed at the last house in the tour and offered as the door prize.

Garden Club president Paula Elias said the entries came from students at Weston Ranch High School and East Union. All entries will be judged by a panel comprised of garden club members, some of whom also belong to the Manteca Artist Guild.

Judging will take place just before the club’s meeting on February 16 in the John McFall Conference Room of the Manteca Public Library. Students will be delivering their entries between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. with the judging to follow.

All high school art students in the district were invited to submit entries. Elias noted that having the high school students involved in the competition is significant given the fact money raised from the garden tour is used, in part, to award scholarships to selected graduating seniors. The club gives away three $1,000 scholarships every year with plans to increase the amount give more scholarships at a future date.

Last year, the garden club opened the contest to members of the Manteca Artist Guild. The winning entry was submitted by guild member Jane Ramey who received a $100 cash award.

The club is also considering displaying all the students’ submitted art work during the garden tour.