TCJ Student has announced the winners of its 2026 cover art and film contests, recognizing two emerging Indigenous artists for their creative achievements. Michal Beardt, a student at Sinte Gleska University, earned top honors in the cover art competition with her piece The Great Escape, while Kija Deer of Red Lake Nation College won the film contest with her short film Detective Yona.
Beardt, a multimedia artist rooted in Northern Plains traditional arts and digital illustration, lives on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and is set to graduate next year with a Bachelor of Education degree from Sinte Gleska University. An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, her heritage includes Sahnish (Arikara) and Sicangu Lakota Oyate. She incorporates these identities into her work, blending cultural expression with storytelling and illustration across contemporary mediums. Her winning artwork will be featured on the cover of the 2026 edition of TCJ Student, which will be included as an inset in Tribal College Journal’s fall issue.
“We have been fortunate to feature Michal Beardt’s remarkable artwork in TCJ and TCJ Student for the past four years, and so being the winner of this year’s cover art contest is a long time coming,” says Bradley Shreve, TCJ’s editor, who added, “Michal’s style is truly unique and, like many great artists, is immediately identifiable.”
Kija Deer (ᎧᏯ), the film contest winner, brings a diverse cultural background, with ties to the Cherokee Nation, Red Lake Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Mexican heritage. A member of the Paint Clan (ᎠᏂᏬᏗ), Deer spent much of her youth in Minneapolis, where she explored her identity through art and performance. She holds an associate degree and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree. Her creative work spans acting, filmmaking, and puppeteering, often in collaboration with other Indigenous artists. Deer’s award-winning film, Detective Yona, will be featured on TCJStudent.org and is scheduled to premiere in November at the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia.
“Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival is proud to congratulate Kija Deer on winning the TCJ Student 2026 film contest with her short film Detective Yona. The film was very creative and unique. As the winner of the film contest, Kija will be awarded an all-expense paid trip to the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival this November in Richmond, Virginia,” states Brad Brown, director of the film festival.