LAS VEGAS— LabTalk magazine named Carolyn Harris, Southern Optical, Greensboro, N.C. as first place winner in its annual Trash to Treasure finishing pad art contest. Harris created a “Big Buck” hunting trophy, and no animals were harmed in the process.

Worthy of a museum, this year’s top four entries in the Trash to Treasure finishing pad art contest showed that even lab rats have a creative streak. From an alligator handbag to a LabTalk team mascot, the creators of this year’s winning entries came up with highly original ways to turn laboratory finishing pads into works of art.

The second place winner, Jason Stone, Toledo Optical, Toledo, Ohio created a piece called Violin in Flight. A third place tie was awarded to Harris for her LabTalk bear, and Herb Simpson, Howard’s Optical, Wichita, Kan., for his stylish Alligator Handbag.

Trash to Treasure was sponsored by LabTalk magazine, DAC Vision, and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. The winners will be featured in a photo spread in the Nov./Dec. issue of LabTalk.