Meet the Judges
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Guest Literary Judge
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is an acclaimed poet, novelist, and essayist whose work explores Black history, identity, and memory. She is the author of several award-winning poetry collections and the bestselling novel The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, which received national acclaim for its sweeping portrayal of African American life across generations.
Recently retired from her role as a professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, she is now a full-time writer whose work continues to appear in major literary journals and publications. A graduate of Talladega College, Jeffers shares a connection with Juliette Derricotte through their alma mater, linking both as Black women with powerful intellectual voices.
Isaac Duncan III
Guest Visual Judge
Isaac Duncan III, a Chattanooga based artist, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, of Caribbean decent, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, Certification of Secondary Art Education from St. Mary's College and Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky.
Isaac is a recipient of the Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship for 2017. In 2024, Duncan was the sole designer for the “Finisher Metals” of the 10th Year Anniversary IRONMAN Chattanooga Triathlon.
Duncan was mentored/employed by various artists: Richard Hunt and John Henry.
Duncan large scale sculptures have been collected by Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Hamilton, Ohio, Lexington Diagnostic Center, Kentucky, African-American Heritage Center, Kentucky, Columbia State College, Tennessee, City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Erlanger Children’s Hospital Kennedy Outpatient Center and Le Domaine Forget, Quebec, Canada and numerous private art collectors.
Isaac is the Past-President of Mid-South Sculpture Alliance and former board member of Sculpture Fields at Montague Park, Association for Visual Artists, and ArtsBuild. He currently sits on the boards of the International Sculpture Center, StoveWorks and serves on the Tennessee Arts Commission granting committees.
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Aaron Hazel
Artistic Advisor
Aaron Hazel is an award-winning artist whose work is featured in galleries internationally and on the pages of national publications. Earning his B.F.A. from Whitman College, Hazel was also a member of the basketball team. Much of Hazel’s early work focused on the art of athletics and he has been commissioned by numerous professional players. Hazel's more recent work focuses on minorities of the West, who are vastly underrepresented in general academia. An avid "student of the game" Hazel is constantly exploring different subject matter as well. Assisting in the workshops of renowned impressionist Robert Moore, Hazel also serves on the Jury Committee for the Out West Art Show in Montana and for local shows in his hometown of Boise. Hazel has been featured at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, the Dayton Institute of Art, the Stanford Children's Hospital, and on the corporate walls of Starbucks, Facebook, Delta Airlines, and Nike.