Austin High School senior Maggie Trom wasn’t counting on winning the Artist of the Year Award Wednesday afternoon.

“I seriously didn’t expect it,” she said. “Everyone else was so good; I never thought I would win it.”

The 20th annual AHS Art Assembly, held in Knowlton Auditorium, showcased 11 Artist of the Year candidates’ artwork and end-of-the-year video projects. Other students were also recognized for artwork throughout the year. Drawing and painting instructor Jake Levisen said it has been good watching the students’ artistic skills grow.

“It’s a very surreal moment, especially because you watch them as freshmen progress,” Levisen said. “And the artistic talent from freshmen year, sophomore year, all the way up to senior year — it’s quite an honor seeing where they started and where they got to. But they’re definitely going to be missed.”

Levisen, along with art teachers Barry Brobeck and Robin Brown, chose the winner out of the 11 candidates.

For Trom — who is headed to the University of Minnesota Duluth to eventually become an art teacher — art has been a part of her life since she was young.

“I’ve loved art ever since I was little, but in high school I really started taking a lot of classes,” she said.

She hopes others can learn through her art and her story to keep trying and not give up, even if it’s difficult. Levisen hopes future students will learn that hard work and dedication pay off in the end.

“And just have fun with it, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “Because once you become stressed out, it’s no longer enjoyable. And art’s supposed to be enjoyable, it’s supposed to be an outlet for individuals.”

He hopes to see the students prosper and continue to do what they love by creating art.

“I’m excited to see where they’re going to go, what the next step is,” he said. “… I’m very excited for what they’re going to do and hopefully they keep on changing the art world.”

The candidates for the Artist of the Year Award this year were:

—Shayla Retterath

—Maggie Trom

—Jazmin Chavez

—Julieta Cervantes

—Journey Hepler

—Colten Detwiler

—Owen Grunewald

—Noah Kinney

—Jeremy Olmsted

—Quoc Le

—Adam Bergstrom