2026 Winner
The Art of Recycling · Presented by
Something new just came through the art room door.
In 2026, students from five North Alabama high schools turned post-industrial recycled plastic into original artwork for the first Art of Recycling competition, presented by PRSEI. Their finished pieces were displayed and judged during River Clay, October 24 and 25, in downtown Decatur.
2026 Student Showcase
Five schools.
A world of imagination.
Five North Alabama high schools transformed recycled plastic from PRSEI into original works of art for the first Art of Recycling competition. Thank you to every student and teacher who brought this new tradition to life.
Congratulations to our 2026 winners: Decatur High School, Priceville High School, and Hartselle High School.
The material
Not bottles. Not packaging. Something new to them.
What ships to each school is post-industrial plastic: the trim, scrap and overrun that comes off production lines in and around Morgan County. PRSEI collects it, sorts it, processes it and recycles it back into use. Each school can use any or all of it, including the packaging it arrives in. Anything left over gets recycled again. That's part of the lesson.
“Plastics will be a new and challenging medium for these students. They won't find this material at a craft store, and most of them may never use it in art projects again after this. For a few weeks they get to work in something completely new to them.”
How it works
One pallet, one board, and nothing else required.
01
The Delivery
Each participating high school receives a pallet of recycled plastic from PRSEI.
02
The Build
Students work in teams. What they make is entirely up to them.
03
The Board
Every piece has to fit on a three-foot by five-foot board. That's the only rule.
04
The Awards
Judged during festival weekend. Prize money goes directly to the winning school's art program.
In her honor
A career spent making a lot out of a little.
The Art of Recycling is held in honor of Patti McKelvey, who taught art at Austin High School in Decatur. Her son, Grant McKelvey, is president of PRSEI.
“My mother spent a career making a lot out of a little in an art classroom in this city. Our goal is to put something in front of these students that they have never worked with before, and to put financial support into the programs that made it possible.”
Student art, lasting impact
A new tradition.
A lasting impact.
The finished pieces were displayed and judged at River Clay 2026, alongside 69 juried artists from across the country. River Clay is a nonprofit, and a portion of the proceeds of each festival goes back to area schools; since it began, that amounts to $65,000 that has been invested in arts education across North Alabama.
Participating schools: Priceville High School, Hartselle High School, Decatur Heritage Christian Academy, Decatur High School, and Austin High School.