FORT WAYNE – “That girl’s gonna be famous someday.”

Max Meyer nods toward a small high school art student helping at the Northeast Indiana-Northwest Ohio Scholastic Art and Writing Awards judging Saturday afternoon. There, judges voted in 15 categories to find the best student art in the region, which would go on to compete in the national competition.

The gonna-be-famous girl had submitted a piece in the mixed media category, though from a distance, her entry looks as though it should be a fashion submission. Her piece is a knee-length dress with a sweetheart neckline. The style and design appear simple and effortless, with each fold and drape of the garment both flattering and expertly crafted … out of masking tape.

“It’s totally wearable,” said Meyer, the regional director of the competition, which is directed by the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. “It has a zipper in the back.”

Nationally, this scholastic program is in its 89th year. Regionally, it’s in its 27th, Meyer said. The museum has organized it since 2004, when the region ranked 60th of 90, a ranking based on the percentage of work sent onto the national competition. In 2004, the region sent eight pieces of art on to nationals.

Over the past two years, under the museum’s guidance, the competition has sent off 36 and 38 pieces to the national competition, placing the region among the top five in the country. Today, Meyer said, Northeast Indiana-Northwest Ohio ranks higher than regions that include Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Miami.

“It’s been life-changing for (our students),” Meyer said. “Last year, we had the first gold-medal portfolio-winning student. That’s (an) award Andy Warhol won.”

And Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Zac Posen and Truman Capote.

Aside from the national recognition is the financial benefit for local students. Over the past three years, Meyer said, students have received about $4 million in scholarships.

Students’ work has fared better nationally after the museum took over the competition for a number of reasons, Meyer said: For one, art teachers are permitted to view the judging, which gives them an idea of what kind of work is expected on this level. Second, the museum is focusing more on the work than the technicalities. If a student doesn’t fill out a form correctly or sign a piece of work properly, he or she is not penalized.

“Fear is the No. 1 reason why somebody wouldn’t try,” he said. “If we limit the number of anal retentive and picky stuff, we give a student more freedom to do what they’re good at.”

And the result speaks for itself: Saturday, judges dealt with 2,181 pieces to sort and judge.

The number doesn’t include writing entries, which are judged online. Three judges were assigned to each category; one with an education background, one familiar with college-level work and one who is a commercial artist related to the field. To move onto nationals, the piece needed to receive three yeses from the judges.

Winners will be announced to teachers Jan. 23, and the museum will have a ceremony at 1 p.m. Feb. 12 at Grand Wayne Center. Submissions will be on display Feb. 11 through April 8 at the museum.

In categories such as painting or photography, judging involved volunteers holding pieces in front of the judges for three to five seconds. In the mixed media category, however, judging went differently. Some pieces could be paraded for the judges, but others were too intricate, like the floor-to-ceiling milk carton lamp.

To judge properly, a volunteer turned off the lights in the room, then turned on the lamp. A bulb near the top lit up, illuminating the spirals of geometric plastic hanging from clear string down to the floor.

The judges all voted “yes.”

jyouhana@jg.net