Riggs Skepnek, a painter and 2001 graduate of Free State High School, has been named a winner of the coveted Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation award.

The Foundation, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was established in 1955 to aid talented young artists in the early stages of their careers.

The open competition invites artists focused in the areas of painting, printmaking, sculpture or drawing to present representational or figurative work for a competitive international prize.

Skepnek received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Washington University in St. Louis and is currently pursuing a dual degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for Master of Fine Arts and Master of Landscape Architecture.