The old Bowdoin fraternity Delta Sigma/Delta Upsilon recently awarded $200 each to five students for art they submitted to its annual competition. The fraternity, which was once the campus epicenter for artists, musicians and progressive social action, has held a juried art show at Bowdoin every year since 1999.

The Delta Sigma/Delta Upsilon Art Competition invites any student to submit artwork in any medium. This year about 30 students participated, and three Maine-based Bowdoin alumni judged the pieces. The winning students were Sarah Haimes ’15, Victoria Guen ’13, James Boeding ’14, David Bruce ’13 and Audrey Blood ’13.

Peter Simmons ’78, executive director of the Bowdoin International Music Festival and former Delta Sigma frat member, presented the awards. He briefly spoke about his fraternity’s history, recounting the times it broke from tradition by accepting African-American students and, later, female students.

After Bowdoin abolished fraternities in the 1990s, Delta Sigma sold its frat house and invested the proceeds in a fund to support the arts at the College. Besides the annual art competition, the fund provides scholarships and a summer internship to students, as well as supports other art activities and projects. “We’re continuing the tradition of artistic engagement at Bowdoin,” Simmons said.