The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers’ annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is an opportunity for creative teens in grades 7-12 to submit their artwork or written work for a chance to receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, and scholarships.

Art & Design Chair Marisol Diaz and English Department Chair Jeremy Meserole, P’26, ’28, ’30 facilitate D-E student submissions, and this year we had more than 30 of our students recognized regionally for Gold Key, Silver Key, and/or Honorable Mention awards (see below for the full list of recipients).

Maleah Liao ’27, an artist who was among the award winners in the regional contest, was the recipient of an Honorable Mention for a painting called “A Present Waste,” an environmental statement about gift giving in today’s age becoming “very disposable”; a Silver Key for a mixed-media piece titled “The Pursuit That Consumes Itself” about “pursuing an unattainable goal, symbolically depicted as the sun”; and a Gold Key for a painting she called “Norman Rockwell Inspired Triple Self Portrait.”

Maleah said she was grateful that her work was recognized. “I think that this honor acknowledges all those who have believed in me and my artwork, specifically my art teachers at D-E,” she said.

Entries that win a Gold Key at the regional level are automatically considered for a national award—and Ms. Diaz and Mr. Meserole recently announced that four of our students are 2026 National Medalists. In the Art category, Nisha Rajan ’26 won two National Silver Medals, and Mara Gualtieri-Horowitz ’26 won a Silver Medal. In the Writing category, Audrey Kolber ’28 won a Gold Medal, and Ian Gavilan ’29 won a Silver Medal for their respective critical essays.

“To win a Scholastic [Award] on the national level is a great accomplishment for D-E students,” said Ms. Diaz. “This national recognition helps support students in areas of creativity that are often underappreciated for their scholarly qualities and culture-change-making abilities.”

Nisha won National Medals for two mixed-media pieces—one titled “Imprint” that she made for last year’s Swartley Art Gallery exhibit and another titled “Change” that she made over the summer.

Nisha said “Imprint” was a major part of the portfolio she submitted to the AP Art Drawing exam. “For the exam, I was investigating how memory evolves over time as well as how I am perceived by others,” Nisha explained. “The submission consists of a large central blurred self-portrait painted with oil on canvas along with four surrounding close-up paintings on illustration board that I elevated off the gallery wall using paper straws and foam board… These surrounding pieces represent the senses and are paired with a color that I associate with that given sense.”

“I submitted this piece to Scholastic because it’s the most time-consuming piece I’ve created and was my first—and only so far—opportunity to install a piece in a gallery setting,” said Nisha.

“I’m also beyond grateful for Ms. Diaz and all of her support throughout the making of this piece,” added Nisha. “I wouldn’t have been able to execute this piece in the way I did without her.”

Mara said her winning editorial cartoon, created as part of her AP Drawing portfolio using crayon, acrylic paint, and digital text, “is a visualization of how gun violence endangers children, impacts larger communities, and alters children’s worldviews.” Mara added that she hoped she could use this work to call attention to the issue of gun violence on a national scale.

“As a senior, this award also feels like a culmination of my years of work with the Art Department,” said Mara. “I am very grateful to the Art Department for encouraging me to take creative risks and supporting my growth as an artist, particularly in developing my use of crayon as a medium.”

Ms. Diaz remarked, “Scholastic has been a vehicle for artistic validation and growth since 1923, and as many of us know, the greatest path to success is to be seen and validated.” 

The sentiment also applies to the written work that has been recognized. The critical essay that won Audrey a Gold Medal is titled “The Cost of Hiding.” It was written as an assignment for Lisa Quirk’s 10th Grade English class, for which students were asked to build an argument using quotes from at least three different published works. Audrey said she credits Ms Quirk, who “really pushed me to analyze more deeply, write more clearly, and take creative risks.”

“At that point in the year, we had read a wide range of material, including Passing by Nella Larsen, along with short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others,” said Audrey. “I was really interested in how these authors explored concealment. Specifically, I was fascinated by how concealment began to shape who the characters in the texts were. That idea became the foundation of my essay.”

“I chose to submit this piece because it felt like a moment where everything I’ve been working on in my writing—analysis, structure, and voice—came together in an intentional and personal way,” expressed Audrey.

Audrey added: “The humanities have always been what I’m most drawn to at D-E. They push you to ask questions, to sit with uncertainty, and to dig deeper rather than look for a single ‘right’ answer… Analysis isn’t about being correct, it’s about being thoughtful, intentional, and willing to explore different perspectives…This recognition feels meaningful because it reflects that process.”

Ian said the Silver Medal he earned for his critical essay, titled “Where the Air Thins: The Disappearing Ground of American Equality,” came as somewhat of a surprise.

“The essay grew out of something I’d been thinking about for years,” he said.

Ian recalled a time on a school field trip when he was 12 years old when he watched a classmate skip lunch because she couldn’t afford it, and then ask a teacher if she could take home leftover food from a workshop table.

“That moment made inequality feel real and immediate in a way that charts and statistics never had,” he said. “Seeing this made me want to write something that captured not just the numbers, but the emotional weight of living in a country where people’s realities have grown so far apart.”

“D-E has pushed me to take my writing seriously and to engage with ideas that matter beyond the classroom,” he noted. “Having that work recognized nationally feels like a reflection of what this community has helped me become as a thinker and writer.”

Congratulations to all our talented Scholastic Award recipients! In the words of Ms. Diaz, “May this be just the beginning of leaving your mark on the world stage!”

Scholastic Writing Award Recipients

Catie Carnoy ’27 – 2 Honorable Mentions

Ian Chung ’31– Honorable Mention

Naomi Feldman ’27 – 3 Honorable Mentions; Silver Key

Ian Gavilan ’29 – Honorable Mention; Gold Key

Leah Gavilan ’27 – Gold Key

Ellie Gottheimer ’27 – Gold Key

Asha Harker ’27 – Honorable Mention; 2 Silver Keys; Gold Key

Kayla Hong ’27 – Honorable Mention; Gold Key

Oriana Huang ’26 – Silver Key; 2 Gold Keys

Julia Jang ’27 – Gold Key

Lucille Kent ’29 – Honorable Mention

Sianne Kim ’26 – Silver Key

Audrey Kolber ’28 – Silver Key; Gold Key

Jason Lee ’27 – Honorable Mention

Cici Liu ’28 – Silver Key

Ava Miltenberg ’27 – Silver Key; Gold Key

Jake Opper ’27 – Honorable Mention

Avery Rothchild ’28 – Honorable Mention

Daniel Seo ’28 – Silver Key

Emma Yuan ’29 – Honorable Mention