RAYMOND — The Northwest Carriage Museum has just concluded its first-ever art competition.

“The museum sought the artistic imaginings of its talented visitors to add creativity and whimsy to a collection that lives and breathes by the enthusiasm of its viewers,” according to a statement from organizers.

Top prizes earned winners’ pieces a place of honor among NWCM’s world-class collection of vehicles and artifacts.

Submissions could be any medium and represent any piece in the collection, or the museum itself. The competition yielded dozens of entries, from museum enthusiasts of all ages, and spanned the entire West Coast, from Seattle to Southern California.

A panel of judges assessed submissions in two categories: youth and adult. First, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes were given to the youth category, which saw a staggering number of entries. A grand prize, along with an honorable mention, were awarded in the adult group.

Judges Kenneth Hurley, Pam Sowa and Vail Stephens named the winners based on faithfulness to the theme, technique and artistic interpretation.

The winners:

Adult Grand Prize: Kris Ellen Jenott, Raymond

Honorable Mention: Pat Denney, Shelton

Youth 1st: Abby Klarin, 6th Grade, Claremont, Calif.

2nd: Jack Brown, 8 years old, Raymond

3rd: Julia Dura, 5th Grade, Eugene

The museum thanked all those who participated in the competition and gave special thanks to the panel of judges.

The Northwest Carriage Museum has been keeping history alive since 2002 with its world-class collection of 63 horse-drawn vehicles and thousands of 19th-century artifacts. NWCM strives to make history engaging and inspiring for its visitors. For more information, see nwcarriagemuseum.org.