Digital art of a woman with long hair, tattoos, and expressive makeup, holding her hand up near her face, illustrated with a neon color palette and sketchy style.

Berry Droplet

Aicha Benali is a rising mixed-media artist whose work has garnered both national and international recognition. Her piece Lilac Bruisewas selected for the cover of the international B’K Magazine and later featured in the Teen Writers Project Magazine. Her work Berry Droplet appeared in the globally circulated KidSpirit Magazine as well as on Teen Ink’s curated platform. Her newest pieces, Flushed Peck and Nightshade Haw, have also gathered attention to be uploaded to the Argyle Magazine. Nightshade Haw was selected for publication in The Words Faire magazine’s inaugural issue and subsequently exhibited in the 2025–2026 National Juneteenth Art Juried Competition at Arts Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas). The same piece was later selected for the MEGA 2026 International Smart Exhibition in Biafarin, marking another international exhibition of her work. It also earned recognition as a First Quarter Semi-Finalist in the 2026 L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future International Contest. 

Her piece Scarlet Kiss earned national distinction through publication in Celebrating Art, one of the largest student art anthologies in the United States. The same work won first place in the inaugural Humanities Poster category at the San Jacinto College Spring Symposium (2025), marking a significant achievement in the college’s academic and creative community. 

Website: aichabenali.com

Instagram: @achoo404

A painting of a red dachshund lying on a yellow pillow with a blue and white blanket underneath. The magazine cover features the title 'Dutch' and indicates it's a literary, music, and art publication. The issue is dated September 2026, and it has a parental advisory label for explicit content. The title at the bottom reads 'Double Dutch issue 5'.