Monstrous Slug Wins Poster Contest

Congratulations to UCSC Student Lyna Hwang, winner of the 2026 contest

Lyna Hwang won the 2026 Festival of Monsters student poster competition with her image of a kaiju-like banana slug destroying a city. Her image will grace posters, t-shirts and advertisements for the 2026 Festival of Monsters, Oct. 14-18, 2026 in Santa Cruz.

This year’s judging went to three rounds as the 26 images submitted to the Center for Monster Studies were all wonderfully monstrous. Ava Anderson came in second with a chimera-like creature whose heads included a slug-like appendage. Neco Mola’s many-eyed, many-handed monster was third. Much thanks to all those who entered!