Judges

Our Judges this year are dedicated to our world of art!

Please meet Briana Hatten, C.A. Jones, Merrilee Challiss and Dan Bynum!

Briana Hatten is a Birmingham native who graduated from the University of Alabama in 2019 as an advertising major. With an eye for creative design, Briana is the Social Media Coordinator at Alabama Power, creating content across various digital platforms. From print to digital and out-of-home advertisements, including billboards, Briana is a creative making her mark in the Magic City.

C.A. Jones is a songwriter and artist born in Florence, Alabama. Immersed in the musical heritage of Muscle Shoals, Jones was influenced by the sounds and natural beauty found throughout the Tennessee River Valley. Through cinematic compositions, his storytelling explores elements of mysticism, Southern folklore, and the process of transformation. Jones also runs an experimental art gallery in downtown Birmingham called Room 412. This space features local and regional artists, helping to provide a gathering place for the local creative community.

Born in Cleveland, OH, Merrilee Challiss is a multi-media, multi-disciplinary artist currently living and working in Birmingham, Alabama. Challiss is the Executive Director of Studio By The Tracks, a non-profit art studio and gallery for adults and youth on the autism spectrum. Challiss lived and worked abroad in Berlin and Prague in the 90s and was the co-owner of a popular DIY cafe / bar / music venue in Birmingham called BottleTree Cafe, which ran from 2006-2015.  She holds a BA in Studio Arts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and an MA Ed in Visual Arts from UAB. Challiss has just wrapped up a years-long project, illustrating the first volume of psychedelic memoir for renowned scientist Dr. Rick Strassman (DMT The Spirit Molecule), which will be released December 10, 2024 on Inner Traditions. Challiss’ next solo exhibition in Alabama will take place at the Gadsden Museum of Art in 2027.

Dan Bynum was born in Birmingham, Alabama. After graduating in 2000 with honors from the Art Studio Program at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, he continued his passion for art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Since 1998 he has been featured in dozens of solo and group shows in various cities, with artwork represented nationally in numerous private and corporate collections. Dan’s love for humanity and the South is evident in his art.