Every year, the Scholastic Awards recognizes the originality, skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision of sixteen young artists and writers. These teen creators are each given a scholarship of $12,500 to encourage their future endeavors in the worlds of arts and literature. The Gold Medal Portfolio Award is the highest honor in the Scholastic Awards and is only available to graduating seniors. This year’s winners are:

Art

Arison Arts Foundation Portfolio Award
Naisha Simon, Miami, FL

Blick Art Materials Portfolio Award
Joyce Kim, Suwanee, GA

Dav Pilkey Portfolio Award
Jaden Poole, Fleming Island, FL
Graham Zeppernick, Mount Pleasant, SC

The Dorothea Tanning Portfolio Award
Sea Sombar, Pittsburgh, PA

GV Group Portfolio Award
Zoey Kim, Kensington, MD

Jill and Peter Kraus Portfolio Award
Jack Adams, Birmingham, AL

Roome Fund Portfolio Award
Luke Haring, Lexington, OH

Writing

BR Printers Portfolio Award
Tika Gill, Harrison City, PA

Command Companies Portfolio Award
Kurn Sundaram, San Jose, CA

Dav Pilkey Portfolio Award
Isabella Lyons, Chesterfield, VA
Annabelle Taghinia, Newtonville, MA

Harry and Betty Quadracci Portfolio Award
Karmiah Smith, West Palm Beach, FL

Maurice R. Robinson Fund Portfolio Award
Ananya Kharat, Downers Grove, IL

Merson Family Portfolio Award
Niamh Carmichael, North Charleston, SC

The New York Times Portfolio Award
Adelaide Sendlenski, Brooklyn, NY

Congratulations to these creative teens! We can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.

Featured image: Jack Adams, Poking Party, Painting. Grade 12, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL. Randy Gachet, Educator; Region-at-Large, Affiliate. Gold Medal Portfolio, Jill and Peter Kraus Portfolio Award