Idaho State University’s Karma Morgan is this year’s holiday greeting card winner

Karma Morgan, a first-year student in biological sciences who is a Pocatello native, has won a $1,000 prize for her design that will appear on the front of Idaho State University's official holiday card.

She had the winning entry in this year's annual ISU President's Holiday Greeting Card Contest.

"I have taken art classes throughout high school," Morgan said. "My inspiration for this art piece was Benny the Bengal. I wanted to represent our school mascot by using a real-life Bengal tiger."

Morgan incorporated the tiger into a holiday scene.

The contest's second-place prizewinner, who received $500, was Alana Bills, a senior from Inkom who is majoring in practical nursing. Her entry was a silk painting of a cup of hot chocolate and partially eaten cookies that spelled "ISU."

"My inspiration was to convey the feeling of having just completed finals and settling down to relax and enjoy the holidays," Bills said.

The contest, created in 2006, is open to full and part-time students. It is judged by a committee comprised of representatives from the President's Office, Alumni Relations, Marketing and Communications, Associated Students of ISU and the art department.

Submissions were judged on how well they were able to "capture the spirit and beauty of the holiday season while thematically incorporating the University."

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