Natchitoches Parish 4-H member Lilah Olivia Covher has been selected as a winner in the American Heroes Student Art Contest and will travel to Washington, D.C., this summer to have her artwork displayed at the Great American State Fair as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration.

Covher earned first place in the Upper Elementary Louisiana Student category with her painting, “Red, Flight and Flew,” a folk art tribute to American naturalist and artist John James Audubon.

“My painting includes twenty species of birds that are special to both Audubon and me and I can name them all,” Covher said.

The Freedom 250 American Heroes Student Art Contest selected one student from each age group category to represent all 56 states and territories. A panel of judges reviewed original artwork and essays submitted by students from across the country before selecting state winners.

As Louisiana’s first-place recipient in the elementary school division, Covher and a designated parent or legal guardian will receive a travel and lodging allowance to attend the Student Art Exhibition and Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C., July 7-9, 2026.

The event will be held during the Great American State Fair and will recognize state, regional and overall winners from across the nation as part of the country’s semiquincentennial celebration.

In a letter announcing the award, contest organizers congratulated Covher on being selected as Louisiana’s first-place winner and invited her to participate in the special recognition events in Washington.

The American Heroes Student Art Contest is sponsored by the Freedom 250 initiative and the National Endowment for the Humanities.