The Berkeley Arts Council announces the winners of their “Mask-a-palooza” covid-19 face mask competition. The competition was open to the community, with the requirements to “make them fun, glamorous, intriguing, surprising…but the end result must be a functional, wearable mask”. Several original designs using hand-made or purchased masks were submitted. The winners are:

$100 First Place: “I Can’t Live Without You” by Suzanne Ravgialla
$50 Second Place: “Stayin’ Alive Spectacular”, by Carolyn Moore
$25 Third Place: “Simply Marvelous”, Judy Ficklin
$10 Honorable mentions: Jean McClure and Yari Piedra

The masks are on display in the front window of the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg through November 13.

Berkeley Arts Council President Anna Howard said, “The covid-19 pandemic is a deadly serious subject that has ravaged our health and our souls. Communities must take strong actions to contain the spread of the virus. In an effort to promote the role that masks play in containment, the Berkeley Arts Council decided to hold this contest. Combining social responsibility and art, the Council hoped to add creativity and humor to help us through these uncertain times. We congratulate the participants and we want to thank one of our Berkeley Arts Council members for contributing the prize money for this contest.”

The Berkeley Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization incorporated in West Virginia working to ensure that Berkeley County has a vibrant, vital arts environment by promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Berkeley Arts Council supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.