SAN ANTONIO – Every year, Fiesta inspires San Antonians to celebrate their city’s culture and history — and for one college student, that inspiration became an award-winning work of art.
Eva Davidson, a student at Northeast Lakeview College, was named this year’s winner of the annual Fiesta poster contest — a competition that, for the first time, was open exclusively to Alamo Colleges students.
While Davidson’s academic focus is geology, art has been a lifelong passion.
“I have been doing art probably my entire life. I would draw the covers of books that I was reading, I would try to draw the characters from movies, anything that I thought was interesting,” Davidson said.
A professor’s push, a deep dive into history
It was a professor who recognized Davidson’s artistic potential and encouraged her to enter the contest. Once she committed, Davidson approached the project with the same rigor she might apply to a research paper.
“I realized I need to do a lot of research if I want to do this correctly and make it good, make it interesting, make it a valuable piece of art. So for the Fiesta poster this year, I spent a lot of time looking into previous Fiesta years,” she said.
“It was understanding why people throw Fiesta,” she added.
What she found was that while the celebration has deep roots, it has also always been about joy and community.
“Over the many years that Fiesta has been going, it’s become this celebration of fun, of partying. People love to party. It brings joy. It lets you express who you are, what you want,” she said.
A painting that puts people first
Davidson’s winning design features eight people, each representing the diversity and spirit of Fiesta and San Antonio’s rich culture. The figures take center stage in the piece, rendered in a monochromatic palette that allows them to stand out and shine.
Her design won’t just hang on walls — it will also be featured on an official Fiesta medal, which Davidson said may be her greatest prize yet.
“I think the medal’s the coolest thing ever. I haven’t collected many medals over my years, but I think I’ve already got the best one,” she said.
Her design is also available for purchase as a poster, T-shirt and more at the Fiesta store and AMOLS’ Party Supplies.
An opportunity she hopes others get, too
Davidson expressed gratitude for the Fiesta Commission’s decision to limit this year’s contest to Alamo Colleges students, calling it a meaningful connection between young artists and the city they call home.
“It’s a great way to feel, personally as a young person, as a young artist, feel connected to the place around me that has given me so much. So I’d love that opportunity for more young artists in the future,” Davidson said.