Albany High had the incredible opportunity to showcase the inspiring work of student-artists from 16 area schools at the 2026 Capital Region Media Arts Festival on Thursday!
During the school day, approximately 200 students from Albany High, Shenendehowa, North Colonie, Niskayuna, Burnt Hills-Ballston-Lake and Bethlehem gathered for a juried showcase of film, photography, animation and graphic design featuring 150 pieces of artwork and nearly 90 minutes of video.
Students enjoyed an inspirational keynote address from filmmaker Bhawin Suchak of Youth FX, learning about the power of observation, curiosity, listening, empathy, patience and sensitivity.
Senator Pat Fahy and Wayne Bequette presented "The Brendan Fahy Bequette Fund Award" to Falcon filmmaker Ian Roach in memory of their son, Albany High alum and filmmaker Brendan Fahy Bequette. Falcon filmmakers Joseph Burke, Millie Casanova, Liz Connell, Jayden Lozada, Hendrix Pla and Olivia Steuer were also recognized by Senator Fahy for their excellent pieces included in the showcase.
During the evening, an informal reception was held so students, staff, family and community members could experience the emerging talent of our Capital Region student-artists.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter and Board of Education President, Sridar Chittur, Ph.D. for joining us for the event, and we also thank our judges—Camille Dobbs, Gary Gold, Daysia Hiller, Kiara Johnson and Neil Wright—for the important role they played in selecting the artwork for this year's show.
Below we have listed the Falcon artwork selected for awards by the jury, and we celebrate the support of Kate Wright, Kristine Monahan, Diana Del Giudice, David Easton and Theresa Story from our Fine Arts Department for the vital role they play in guiding our student-artists towards excellence each day.
For additional details and to see the artwork created by our Falcon artists and their peers from across the Capital Region, visit the 2026 Capital Region Media Arts Festival website.
Congratulations to our Falcon artists!
Photography
- Subcategory "Landscape/Nature"
- Second Place: Evelyn Shirer | Grade 11 | Ripples
- Subcategory "The Human Figure/Portraiture"
- Honorable Mention: Julia Seniw | Grade 11 | Police
Design
- Subcategory "Digital Fine Art"
- First Place: Michaela Awili | Grade 11 | Performance
- Second Place: Michael Awili | Grade 11 | End Game
- Subcategory "Visual Identity & Marketing Materials"
- Second Place: Michael Awili | Grade 11 | 200 AD
- Subcategory "Magazines, Books & Product Packaging"
- Second Place: Cadence Humphreys | Grade 11 | Our Castle by the Sea
- Subcategory "Digital Illustration"
- Second Place: Savannah Sessoms | Grade 12 | Lobotomized
Video/Film
- Subcategory "Narrative - Drama"
- Honorable Mention: Liz Connell | Grade 12 | Irish American
- Subcategory "Narrative - Comedy"
- First Place: Ian Roach | Grade 12 | Honor Rollers
- Subcategory "Narrative - Action"
- Honorable Mention: Joseph Burke | Grade 10 | Tenshiki Magic Academy
- Subcategory "Documentary"
- Second Place: Olivia Steuer | Grade 12 | What is your biggest fear?
- Third Place: Millie Casanova & Jayden Lozada | Grade 12 | Censorship
- Subcategory "Experimental/Video Art"
- Third Place: Hendrix Pla | Grade 11 | The Attack of the Rogue Blowdryer