2026 COMPETITION & SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
FIRST PLACE: ALEXANDER POBEREYKO • PSIHEDELIA • ABSTRACTS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
The William G. Ericson Foundation, in partnership with the Pasadena City College Foundation, sponsored the competition on March 14, 2026, with public high schools in the Pasadena Area Community College District (PACCD) to provide scholarship awards to the winners.
The eligible PACCD high schools are Arcadia High School, Arroyo High School, Blair High School, Gabrielino High School, John Muir High School, La Cañada/Flintridge High School, Marshall Fundamental High School, Pasadena High School, Rosemead High School, San Marino High School, South Pasadena High School, and Temple City High School.
SECOND PLACE: AUGUST BRANDOW • MAELSTROM • THINGS • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
The FINALISTS and HONORABLE MENTION winners were chosen by the Ericson Foundation Board members. The First, Second and Third place BEST IN SHOW winners and Category winners were chosen by the esteemed competition judges: Andrew Bernstein, Libero Antonio Di Zinno and Tiffany Lo. The competition photographs were judged blindly. Each photo entry is assigned an identification number at the time of submission. Information about the student photographer is not revealed until after the winners are chosen.
Andrew D. Bernstein (Andy) is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame photographer, Director of Photography for AEG and owner of Andrew D. Bernstein Associates Photography, Inc. based in South Pasadena. He is a longtime board member of South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) and adjunct instructor at his alma mater of Art Center College of Design, as well as Mount St. Mary’s University. A much sought after public speaker, Andrew and the late Kobe Bryant were co-authors of the worldwide best selling book, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.” Andrew has also collaborated with Coach Phil Jackson on the book “Journey To The Ring.” Andrew is the co-founder and host of the award winning Legends Of Sport podcast. He served as Director of Photography for Vanessa Bryant’s recent book “Mamba & Mambacita Forever,” produced by Legends Of Sport.
Libero Antonio Di Zinno (Tony) was a ten-year faculty member in photography at the Art Center College of Design, and a guest lecturer at UCSB and Brooks Institute as well. Currently he is an adjunct professor of photojournalism at Mt. Saint Mary’s University.
Tony’s passion projects include working in Afghanistan for years for a non-profit, Mountain to Mountain. Further, his work in Africa and Asia for the innovative designers at ideo.org and their client the Rockefeller Foundation (2014) serve to underline the global nature of his visual story telling.
Tony’s most recent photo exhibit was that of Big Cats in Africa highlighting and benefiting research for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
Tiffany Lo is a videographer, photographer, and creative content producer with over 17 years in the media industry. She is one of the co-founders of BuzzFeed’s Tasty, the food brand that transformed modern day food videos. While at BuzzFeed, in addition to Tasty, she ran the video teams of other lifestyle brands including Bring Me! (travel), Goodful (health and wellness), and Nifty (DIY). Her content has accumulated hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms. Before switching to visual media, Tiffany worked as an assistant audio engineer at recording studios in Los Angeles and worked for the GRAMMYs non-profit, GRAMMY Foundation, which focused on programs for high school students across the country. She is a South Pasadena High School alumni.
THIRD PLACE: IAN HOWARD • EDGE OF REALITY • PLACES • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
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Alexander Pobereyko
South Pasadena High School
Psihedelia, Category: ABSTRACTS, 1st Place, $10,000August Brandow
Thurgood Marshall Secondary School
AKEOME! - Happy New Year’s, Maelstrom, Category: THINGS, 2nd Place, $7,000Ian Howard
South Pasadena High School
Edge of Reality, Category: PLACES, 3rd Place, $5,000 -
Nico Watford-Edelson
South Pasadena High School
Grasping, Category: ABSTRACTS, $2,000Olivia Gonzalez
Temple City High School
The Truth Between Moments, Category: PEOPLE, $2,000Emiko Essmiller
South Pasadena High School
At Sunset, Category: PLACES, $2,000Naiomi Gary
South Pasadena High School
She Believes in Inner Beauty, Category: THINGS, $2,000 -
Zhijie Huang
Arcadia High School
Deep Space in Dreams, Category: ABSTRACTS, $1000Zander Magrum
Blair High School
One Way, Category: ABSTRACTS, $1000Martin Tran
Gabrielino High School
When the Noise Fades, Category: PEOPLE, $1000Hope Gray-Gardner
John Muir High School
Families Belong Together , Category: PEOPLE, $1000Paulina Danilova
La Cañada/Flintridge High School
Let There Be Light, Category: PLACES, $1,000Scheherezada Villegas
Pasadena High School
Los Angeles & Aliso Street, Category: PLACES, $1,000Dulcemaria Soto
Rosemead High School
On the Pier, Category: PLACES, $1,000Rossetti Rackham
San Marino High School
Within Arms Reach, Category: PEOPLE, $1,000
FINALISTS
AIDEN CHEUNG • RIVERS OF LIGHT • PLACES • ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL
ZHIJIE HUANG • DEEP SPACE IN DREAMS • ABSTRACTS • ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL
LEONARDO LI • RIPPLE • PEOPLE • ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL
ELLIE MA • JOIE • PEOPLE • ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL
JOEL GRIFFIN • ENDLESS STRUCTURE • PLACES • BLAIR HIGH SCHOOL
ZANDER MAGRUM • ONE WAY • ABSTRACTS • BLAIR HIGH SCHOOL
MARTIN TRAN • WHEN THE NOISE FADES • PEOPLE • GABRIELINO HIGH SCHOOL
HOPE GRAY-GARDNER • FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER • PEOPLE • JOHN MUIR HIGH SCHOOL
PAULINA DANILOVA • LET THERE BE LIGHT • PLACES • LA CAÑADA/FLINTRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
MARSHALL BECKER • SILENT OBSERVER • PLACES • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
MARISOL RIVAS GÓMEZ • RETURNING • THINGS • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
AUGUST BRANDOW • MAELSTROM • THINGS • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
FINNIGAN SLATTERY • THE PIRATES OF PASADENA • THINGS • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
SCHEHEREZADA VILLEGA • LOS ANGELES & ALISO ST • PLACES • PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
BRENNA-MARIE HENLEY • A MOMENT OF STILLNESS • THINGS • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
DULCEMARIA SOTO • ON THE PIER • PLACES • ROSEMEAD HIGH SCHOOL
KAYLEE SNYDER • THE LONE WATERFRONT WATCHER • THINGS • THURGOOD MARSHALL SECONDARY SCHOOL
ROSSETTI RACKHAM • WITHIN ARMS REACH • PEOPLE • SAN MARINO HIGH SCHOOL
SEAN TRISNADI • FOCUS IN THE NIGHT • PEOPLE • SAN MARINO HIGH SCHOOL
PRESTON TONG • MORNING SUN • PLACES • SAN MARINO HIGH SCHOOL
JOVANNI BENTANCOR • SNUGGLES AT A RANCH • THINGS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
SHAYAN AMERI • DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH • THINGS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
ALINA BUGG • LOOKING FOR THE LIGHT • ABSTRACTS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
JAKUB CLEMONS • TRAPPED SURROUNDED BY HOME • THINGS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
GABRIELLA CUNANAN • EYE CAN FEEL • ABSTRACTS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
EMIKO ESSMILLER • AT SUNSET • PLACES • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
NAIOMI GARY • SHE BELIEVES IN INNER BEAUTY • THINGS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
SEBASTIAN GUTIERREZ • WHERE WE STAND • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
SAWYER GATDULA • JANUARY 3RD, 2026 • PLACES • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
IAN HOWARD • EDGE OF REALITY • PLACES • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
CHARLES HUDSON • A BIRDS SPIRAL • THINGS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
ETHAN KWAK • THE FRIEND • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
CONAN LAFFERTY • HIDDEN FLOW • PLACES • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
HARUTO MAEKAWA • THE CAGE PERSPECTIVE • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
AMAYA MAHLER • BETWEEN THE LINES • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
CHARLIE ORINDGREFF • BROKEN SMILE • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
ALEXANDER POBEREYKO • PSIHEDELIA • ABSTRACTS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
NICO WATFORD-EDELSON • GRASPING • ABSTRACTS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
EMMA WISCH • URBAN PURGATORY • ABSTRACTS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
SOPHIA YAN • LOVE IN JAPAN • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
LINDSAY ZHU • THE DIFFERENT YOU’S • PEOPLE • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
LIVIA DE PAULA • EDGE OF THE SHORELINE• PEOPLE • TEMPLE CITY HIGH SCHOOL
AMELIA TRAN • SUMMERTIME SEALS • THINGS • SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL
OLIVIA GONZALEZ • THE TRUTH BETWEEN MOVEMENTS • PEOPLE • TEMPLE CITY HIGH SCHOOL
AWARD CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAFAEL NAJARIAN, EXCEPT WHERE NOTED.