Iris Barnard, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Dan and Angela Barnard of Meridian, was named the 2023 overall winner of the Mississippi School of the Arts “Show Us Your Best Mississippi” art contest.

The contest was open to all Mississippi students in 7th through 10th grades. Categories included visual art, dance, vocal, theatre, filmmaking and writing.

Barnard, who just completed the 10th grade at Meridian High School, won for a self-portrait.

She has been accepted to attend the next two years of school at the Mississippi School of the Arts, where she will focus on visual arts.

The Mississippi School of the Arts is an 11th and 12th grade visual and performing arts public, residential high school located on the historic Whitworth College campus in Brookhaven.

Mississippi School for the Arts students not only meet and exceed the state’s traditional high school curriculum, they receive special instruction in visual arts, vocal music, dance, literary arts, filmmaking/media arts and theatre.