2026 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards announced

The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers announced the recipients of the 2026 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and several Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students took home Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is the nation’s longest running and most prestigious recognition program for creative students in grades 7–12. Students can apply in 29 categories of art and writing. CMS students competed regionally against 26 other counties in the Central region in North and South Carolina.

Highlights from this year’s recognition include:

• Students of Visual Arts teachers Selena Tell, Kody Hall, Lynn Wu and Bryan Wilson each brought home three Gold Keys.
• Myers Park High School’s Visual Arts program brought home 14 awards overall.
• Caroline Lewis, a student at South Mecklenburg High School, received a Silver Key and her work will be displayed on an Adams Outdoor Billboard in Charlotte.

Entries that receive a Gold Key are automatically considered for national awards. National medalists and their educators will be honored at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

“I am incredibly proud of the ‘tremendous’ showing by CMS in this year’s Scholastic Awards,” said Justin Pierce, director of Arts Education. “By providing a platform for students to lift their voices and sharpen their skills, our teachers have empowered them to produce truly unique creative works that stood out across 27 counties. Taking home nearly a quarter of the total regional awards is a massive win for our programs, our families and the future of the arts in North Carolina.”

Congratulations to the following students:

Gold Key Awards

Student	School	Teacher	Piece	Category
Adway Patel	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	The Everything Box	Architecture & Industrial Design
Taylor Felty	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	Impressionable	Editorial Cartoon
Bella Wofford	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	Fresh Thighs For Sale	Illustration
Tvisha Kumar	Ardrey Kell High School	N/A	Shrouded Growth	Jewelry
Maeva Louzini	Hopewell High School	Ashley Byer	Egret in Flight	Sculpture
Stella Elder	J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori	Pooja Nair	Individual Prayer	Photography
Gabriel Brown	Mallard Creek High School	Kody Hall	There's So Much You Don't Know	Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage
Ava Dias	Mallard Creek High School	Viloki Patel	Our Beloved Community	Painting
Ryan Mohammed	Mallard Creek High School	Kody Hall	Loveless House	Photography
Ryan Mohammed	Mallard Creek High School	Kody Hall	SelfObsessed	Experimental Photography
Charlotte Manning	Myers Park High School	Lynn Wu	Bedtime Story	Comic Art
Alden Faherty	Myers Park High School	Lynn Wu	Under the Knife	Drawing
Charlotte Manning	Myers Park High School	Lynn Wu	Mother Earth Wakes Up	Mixed Media
Ty Clark	Myers Park High School	Lisa Holder	Trip	Photography
Roochi Nadkarni	Northwest School Of The Arts	Bryan Wilson	Voyager	Drawing
Emily Cook	Northwest School Of The Arts	Bryan Wilson	The City Girl	Illustration
Roochi Nadkarni	Northwest School Of The Arts	Bryan Wilson	Rummy	Painting
Duncan Kennedy	South Mecklenburg High School	Ashley Graham	The Pressure Within	Sculpture
Kaylee Navarro	South Mecklenburg High School	Ashley Graham	Extinction Served Cold	Sculpture
Anna Phan	William Amos Hough High School	Rebecca Aranyi	Fortune For You	Mixed Media
Sarah Schoen	William Amos Hough High School	Kate Allen	World-Built: Homes Through Art	Portfolio Category (Art)

Silver Key Awards

Student	School	Teacher	Piece	Category
Gabriel De Souza Teixeira	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	Final Girl	Comic Art
Adway Patel	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	Transcripted Perspective	Drawing
Allison Ausman	East Mecklenburg High School	Tina Vincent	A New Perspective	Mixed Media
Alexis Young	East Mecklenburg High School	Tina Vincent	Let's Celebrate!	Painting
Felix Kaminsky	J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori	Pooja Nair	Seeing Double	Ceramics & Glass
Stella Elder	J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori	N/A	Mother Mary	Photography
Hex Rivas	Mallard Creek High School	Viloki Patel	Deceitful Orchestra	Ceramics & Glass
Sebian Pervis	Mallard Creek High School	Kody Hall	Skin To Bone	Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage
Raiyne-Lei Hutton	Mallard Creek High School	Cindy Boes	Spooky Stickers	Graphic Design
Akosua Okrah	Myers Park High School	Miles Van Heusden	What a Mess	Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage
Alden Faherty	Myers Park High School	N/A	Click Clack	Illustration
Mira Szybiak	Myers Park High School	Lynn Wu	Memory	Mixed Media
Henry Yingling	Myers Park High School	Lisa Holder	Thank You CLT	Photography
Ty Clark	Myers Park High School	Lisa Holder	All Ages, Stand-United	Photography
Giovanni Wilches	Northwest School Of The Arts	Bryan Wilson	Riot of Los Angeles	Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage
Thomas Barrett	Northwest School Of The Arts	Bryan Wilson	Mixed Beginnings	Mixed Media
Noelle Woolfolk	Northwest School Of The Arts	Bryan Wilson	The Youngest	Painting
Caroline Lewis	South Mecklenburg High School	Amy Miller	Marbles	Drawing
Caroline Fong	South Mecklenburg High School	Maria Maspons	A Fool's Gold	Editorial Cartoon
Scarlette'Marie Raymond	West Charlotte High School	Sierra Clark	The Wait	Comic Art
Lauren Kronk	William Amos Hough High School	Kate Allen	Sardine Silhouette	Jewelry
Anna Phan	William Amos Hough High School	Rebecca Aranyi	No Longer Here	Mixed Media
Anna Phan	William Amos Hough High School	Rebecca Aranyi	Emotional Starvation	Mixed Media

Honorable Mentions

Student	School	Teacher	Piece	Category
Adway Patel	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	Unbounded Grounds	Architecture & Industrial Design
Varvara Sevriugina	Ardrey Kell High School	Selena Tell	Another Her	Comic Art
Cierra Wery	Ballantyne Ridge High School	Kate Allen	Pigs Run the Farm	Editorial Cartoon
Lesly Ruiz	David W. Butler High School	Kimberly Blair	Dripping Light	Experimental Photography
Stevie Pooley	David W. Butler High School	Kimberly Blair	Queer Joy	Photography
Lesly Ruiz	David W. Butler High School	Kimberly Blair	Distant Memories	Photography
Daniela Martinez Velasco	East Mecklenburg High School	Tina Vincent	Perceived Fragility	Drawing
Mya Berkman	East Mecklenburg High School	Tina Vincent	Queen Mya	Painting
Imani Smith	Mallard Creek High School	Jessica Sawyer	Underdressed at the Symphony	Ceramics & Glass
Bela Ruscigno	Mallard Creek High School	Kody Hall	To the Sky	Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage
Lesly Ruiz	David W. Butler High School	Kimberly Blair	Distant Memories	Photography
Daniela Martinez Velasco	East Mecklenburg High School	Tina Vincent	Perceived Fragility	Drawing
Mya Berkman	East Mecklenburg High School	Tina Vincent	Queen Mya	Painting
Imani Smith	Mallard Creek High School	Jessica Sawyer	Underdressed at the Symphony	Ceramics & Glass
Bela Ruscigno	Mallard Creek High School	Kody Hall	To the Sky	Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage
Kerala Johnson	Northwest School Of The Arts	Elizabeth Schmit	Circle of Life	Ceramics & Glass
Ellie Luedke	South Mecklenburg High School	Amy Miller	DO NOT TOUCH…or should I?	Mixed Media
Sarah Schoen	William Amos Hough High School	Rebecca Aranyi	Summer in Nice	Mixed Media
Sarah Schoen	William Amos Hough High School	Rebecca Aranyi	South Beach	Painting
Anna Phan	William Amos Hough High School	Rebecca Aranyi	Isolation	Portfolio Category (Art)