“Bridge Party,” an acrylic painting by Bob Casazza, was the winner in the 2026 Art in Transit Competition, a fundraiser and cooperative effort between Bay Aging and the RAL Art Center in Kilmarnock.

The winner was announced during a reception held on Friday at the RAL Art Center. Casazza received a cash award of $1,000, and his image of seagulls perched on the Norris Bridge was used for a vinyl wrap on a Bay Transit bus. The image will remain in place for a least a year.

Funds raised from entry fees and sponsors for the contest each year pay for prizes for the contest winners, as well as college scholarships for Bay Transit bus drivers or their family members, said a press release.

Judges for the contest were Joyce Crown-Wilkins, a Richmond County art educator, and Randy Toy, a professional artist, printmaker, and VMFA educator. They selected the winners from 37 entries displayed at the art center.

Second place in the competition went to “The Oyster Gypsy,” an oil painting by Gayle Merrill, who won $750, while third place was awarded to “Surf’s Up,” an oil painting by Linda Reichert, who won $500.

Honorable mentions went to Sarah Marshall for her oil painting “The Rising Wing,” Susan Segrist for her pastel “Unpathed Waters, Unpathed Shores,” Doug Mock for his watercolor, “Poised and Ready,” and Brenda Sylvia for her acrylic painting, “There When Needed, Smith Point Sea Rescue.”