Students made an impressive mark in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, announced last week, earning nine awards in one of the nation’s most prestigious competitions recognizing creative achievement among students in grades 7–12.

The 2026 awards received an extraordinary 8,683 total entries across 18 individual art categories, along with 214 portfolio submissions, highlighting just how competitive this year’s contest was. 

From this massive pool of submissions, judges awarded 1,349 Honorable Mentions, 825 Silver Keys, and 611 Gold Keys to standout works demonstrating originality, technical skill, and strong personal voice. The School’s artists, especially middle school students, rose to the challenge, earning recognition across multiple categories.

“This year stands out in the success in middle school [for] the painting category. In particular, painting and drawing in Scholastic Art Awards is always the most competitive which ultimately ends up being the hardest to receive recognition,” Director of Innovation and Design Kathryn Lee said.

The Upper School awards are hard to earn, but for a Middle School student to compete with high school students is a truly impressive, according to Lee.

Penelope Burket ‘31 earned a Gold Key in Photography for her outstanding visual storytelling.

In Ceramics,  Austin Hsiao '27 captured a Gold Key, while Taylor Liu '27 received both a Silver Key and a Gold Key for exceptional work in the same category, an especially notable accomplishment.  

Several other students earned Honorable Mentions for their creative achievements: Chloe Chang ’30 in painting; Eli Gauld ’29, Phillip Lane ’29, Alice Shimomura ’27 and Charlie Young ’29 in photography. Each recognition reflected the dedication, experimentation and passion these artists brought to their work.