WASHINGTON - Today, the Copyright Alliance announced the winners of its first-ever national art competition. The winning artists, hailing from Florida, California, Maryland, Michigan and Oregon, highlight the diverse nature of our creative community, with winning submissions ranging from photography to an original instrumental song to a time-lapse video. The honored works will be included in the digital display Connecting Creators: Showcasing the Artists Among Us. The show was conceived as a celebration of America's creative community in conjunction with the Alliance's 5th anniversary celebration.

The Best in Show honor was awarded to Rolando Diaz, a Miami (Fl) based photographer specializing in travel, documentary and environmental portraiture. Upon learning his piece "Footsteps" won Best in Show Rolando said:

"Creating a work of art requires much more than simple inspiration and creativity, it requires personal expression. It is the personal expression that makes my work original. I wouldn't be able to devote myself to my passion of capturing the essence of this existence we live in if it weren't for strong copyright protections. Just knowing that I'm protected gives me the comfort and artistic freedom to pursue new and innovative styles of photography to share with the world."

Additional honorees include multi-media artist Michael Stern, a California-based artist working in the photographic industry who specializes in narrative-driven time-lapse videos; Maryland-based fine art photographer Janet Little Jeffers; Moh Alileche, an Algerian-born, Oregon-based singer-songwriter; and visual artist Johnny Bee Badanjek of Michigan who initially gained success in music as the drummer for Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and has toured with Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, and more.

Over one hundred submissions were entered into the competition in a number of categories, including visual, audio and multi-media. Winning entries were selected by a panel of creative peers from the Alliance's one voice network: poet Anne Becker, singer-songwriter Margot MacDonald and visual artist and director of outreach for the Copyright Alliance Lucinda Dugger, who noted: "This was a difficult show to judge, many of the pieces were very strong, and the judges debated fiercely for some time to determine the overall winner."

"The most exciting aspect of this show," continued Dugger "is seeing the diversity of creative expression throughout the United States. Submitted works ranged from musical movie scores to pastel drawings to videos raising awareness about alzheimers and adoption to two and three-dimensional visual pieces. Not only is each work of art unique in expression and style, but each effectively communicates the artist's perception about the world we live in. I want to thank each of the contributing artists for supporting the work of the Copyright Alliance and making a valuable contribution to our culture and society."

Complete List of Award Winners:

Best In Show: Rolando Diaz; Miami Lakes, Florida www.rolandodiaz.com

Honorable Mention, Visual: Johnny Bee Badanjek; Sterling Heights, Michigan www.janetlittle.com

Honorable Mention, Audio: Moh Alilieche; Portland, OR http://www.flagoffreedom.com/

Honorable Mention, Multi-Media: Michael Stern; Pasadena, CA http://buildabetterphotograph.com/