Courtroom Artist Contest
The Courtroom Artist Contest is a competition that allows artistically talented students the opportunity to participate in the Mock Trial Program. Contestants will attend NHSMTC with their state team and create a drawing of the courtroom scene during their team's Round 3 trial. Each state with a Courtroom Artist Contest is eligible to send its state champion courtroom artist to compete at the NHSMTC Courtroom Artist Contest. The top three entries will be acknowledged at the NHSMTC Awards Ceremony.
2025 Courtroom Artist National Champion: Kaitlyn Marden, Dos Pueblos High School, California
See the full list of winners by year below.
COURTROOM ARTIST CONTEST RULES
The official rules can be found in Section 7 of the Rules of the Competition
Requirements:
- All contestants must have participated in a Courtroom Artist Competition in their state (at any level).
- All participants must pay a $75.00 registration fee and register as your state’s official courtroom artist.
- All participants agree to the publication or reprinting of their artwork for educational purposes. No financial compensation will be awarded.
- All contestants must watch the courtroom artist video (a link to the webcast will be emailed to all registered participants prior to the competition).
Contest Procedures:
- The official courtroom artist contest drawings will be produced in Round 3. Contestants may practice drawing in Rounds 1 and 2, in the courtroom where their team is competing.
- The sketch must depict an actual courtroom scene that you observe during your state’s Round 3 trial.
- During the trial, introduce yourself to the scorers, say your name and identify yourself as the courtroom artist. Do not say what state or school you are from.
- You may sit in the jury box away from scorers if available. You must wear your nametag.
- Once the trial begins, you may not move about the courtroom. Artists may not communicate, either verbally or non-verbally, with any member of the Mock Trial teams or any visitors in the courtroom during the trial rounds.
- At the end of Round 3, give your drawing to the Presiding Judge or the Courtroom Liaison. Only drawings submitted to the Presiding Judge or the Courtroom Liaison will be entered in the contest.
Drawing Parameters:
- The art submission may be done in color or in black and white
- The drawing must be on paper of the dimensions 11” X 14”, in a horizontal format.
- The drawing may be done in any of the following mediums: Color pencil, pen and ink, pastel, marker. No watercolors or paint are allowed.
- The art submission must have the artist’s name and team code placed on the back of the sketch; no signatures on the front of the submission are allowed
Judging Components
- Sketches are evaluated and scored anonymously by a judge or judging team. The highest scored sketch will be named the NHSMTC Courtroom Artist National Champion.
- The results of the NHSMTC Courtroom Artist competition will be announced at the Awards Ceremony.
Tips & Ideas
- Find the most newsworthy action that occurred in the courtroom. Perhaps there is an “ah-ha” moment, an intriguing witness, a shocking development with which to capture the emotion of the trial. The artist must remember that this is true reporting, and must be the “eyes of the court”.
- Strive for accuracy in depicting the courtroom setting, but don’t focus on sketching a microphone instead of the witness on the stand.
- Let the viewer know right away that this is a courtroom. Include items that convey that setting, but remember to tell as full a story as possible, instead of focusing on minute details.
JUDGING CRITERIA SAMPLE SCORESHEET
Questions? Please contact the Courtroom Artist Contest Committee at courtroomartist@nationalmocktrial.org
NHSMTC Courtroom Artist Winners
2016 - Boise, ID
1st Place: Sarah Almeda, Bergen Catholic High School, NJ
2nd Place: Sophie Fu, CA
3rd Place: Michelle Cao, Northview High School, GA
2017 - Hartford, CT
1st Place: Adeline Wang, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, CA
2nd Place: Nicole Harris, Cambridge High School, GA
3rd Place: Courtney Cook, Midlothian Heritage High School, TX
2018 - Reno, NV
1st Place: Molly Wu, Wylie High School, TX
2nd Place: Michelle Cao, Northview High School, GA
3rd Place: Catherine Hong, BASIS Chandler, AZ
2019 - Athens, GA
1st Place: Evelyn Pinrose, Wylie High School, TX
2nd Place: Michelle Cao, Northview High School, GA
3rd Place: Micayla Dougherty, Lewiston High School, ID
Click here to see all of the drawings from the 2019 Competition
2021 - Evansville, IN (virtual competition)
1st Place: Grace Kim, Notre Dame Academy, California
2nd Place: Chelsea Li, Plano West High School, Texas
3rd Place: Selena Wang, Novi High School, Michigan
2022 - Kalamazoo, MI (virtual competition)
1st Place: Sahitha Vuddagiri, BASIS Chandler High School, Arizona
2nd Place: Alessia Chavez Flores, Creekview High School, Texas
3rd Place: Ronald Lu, Glen A. Wilson High School, California
2023 - Little Rock, AK
1st Place: Ella Ochoa, Channel Islands High School, California
2nd Place: Karah Richardson, Tooele High School, Utah
3rd Place: Jacquie Wheeler, Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Texas
2024 - Wilmington, DE
1st Place: Katie Smith, Washington County High School
2nd Place: Sonja Schweser, Nova Classical Academy, Minnesota
3rd Place: Erica Oliver, Terry Sanford High School, North Carolina
2025 - Phoenix, AZ
1st Place: Kaitlyn Marden, Dos Pueblos High School, California
2nd Place: Karah Richardson, Tooele High School, Utah
3rd Place: Elon Dekker, DeLaSalle High School, Minnesota
2025 Second Place Courtroom Artist: Karah Richardson, Tooele High School, Utah
2025 Third Place Courtroom Artist: Elon Dekker, DeLaSalle High School, Minnesota
People's Choice Contest Winners
1st Place: Kaitlyn Marden, Dos Pueblos High School, California
2nd Place: Meredith Rogers, Decatur High School, Georgia
3rd Place: Angel Samaneigo, Simon Sanchez High School, Guam
2025 People's Choice First Place Courtroom Artist: Kaitlyn Marden, Dos Pueblos High School, California
2025 People's Choice Second Place Courtroom Artist: Meredith Rogers, Decatur High School, Georgia
2025 People's Choice Third Place Courtroom Artist: Angel Samaneigo, Simon Sanchez High School, Guam
