Post Falls' Slaney wins national art contest

Post Falls High senior Meaghan Slaney is the first winner of the national Artsonia Idol Contest, an online art contest for high schoolers.

She was among three finalists heading into last weekend out of more than 500 entrants. This is the first year of the contest.

Slaney, who plans to attend Boise State University this fall and major in art, won $1,000 worth of art supplies and $500 for her school's art program with the first-place finish. Earlier in the contest, she won magnets and prints of her artwork and items at the Artsonia gift shop.

Entrants must submit art in five categories - Design, Imagination, People, Nature and Artist's Choice.

The judges and the public each made up 50 percent of the vote to determine the winner.