Graduate students at Kentucky State win first and third in national forestry T-shirt contest

Winning ideas from Dr. Manisha Parajuli’s forestry lab celebrate forests and the life they sustain

Nischal Sapkota and Ashmita Bhandari have earned national recognition for forestry-themed T-shirt ideas shared with professionals from across the country.

Both students study with Dr. Manisha Parajuli, assistant professor of forestry at Kentucky State University.

Sapkota won first place in the 2026 Forestry T-Shirt Design Contest for “The Original Wood Wide Web,” and Bhandari placed third for “Forests: Where Life Begins.” Organized by Rayonier and the Society of American Foresters, the contest invites participants to express their enthusiasm for forestry through creative messages and imagery.

“Nischal and Ashmita have found creative ways to share why forests matter,” Dr. Parajuli said. “Their success gives them an opportunity to connect with the wider forestry community and brings national attention to the talent of Kentucky State’s graduate students.”

For the contest, Rayonier worked with a designer to develop submitted ideas into T-shirt designs, then invited the public to vote for their favorites among 12 finalists.

The winning designs were featured at the 2026 Society of American Foresters National Convention, held Oct. 6–9 in Tacoma, Washington. Shirts featuring the designs were available free at Rayonier’s booth, introducing attendees to the students’ ideas.

Rayonier owns more than 4 million acres of land across the United States, with businesses that include sustainable forest management. The Society of American Foresters supports forestry professionals and advances sustainable forestry and natural resource management.

For Sapkota and Bhandari, the awards offer a national platform for communicating the value of forests. Their achievements also highlight the opportunities Kentucky State’s graduate students have to share their knowledge and creativity beyond the classroom, advancing the public engagement mission of Kentucky’s only public HBCU and 1890 land-grant university.

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