W. Keith White has been named the winner of the poster contest for the 50th-Annual National Shrimp Festival.

Traditionally, the poster contest is open for submissions from the general public. However, in honor of the 50th iteration of the festival, committee members decided to only reach out to past contest winning artists, tapping into their familiarity and experience with the event.

The selected artists were invited to create a piece that best captured the essence of the Shrimp Festival through the years with food, music and art, all while evoking a classic feel. Shrimp Festival committee members carefully evaluated the submitted designs from eight different artists. After an anonymous vote, White's was chosen by a substantial margin of victory.

Born and raised in Shallotte, North Carolina, White holds a bachelor's degree in commercial art with 17 years experience as a graphic designer and editorial cartoonist for weekly North Carolina newspaper The Brunswick Beacon. White had previously won the poster contest for the 41st-Annual National Shrimp Festival and has also produced official artwork for the North Carolina Oyster Festival.

"It was a bit of a shock when I received the call," White said. "I'm honored and very much look forward to visiting Gulf Shores once again!"

White will be making an appearance during the festival where he will be on hand to sign poster prints and merchandise featuring his artwork (the time and location of this experience will be announced closer to the festival). Along with his art being the face of the festival on marketing and merchandising, White will also receive a cash prize of $1,500.

The poster, T-shirts and other merchandise will first be available for purchase at 10 a.m. Oct. 12, coinciding with the festival's opening day. A limited number of copies signed, and numbered by White will also be available for those who are unable to make the in-person signing.