Home Community Blog 2026 National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Michael V. ’27 – Forest Folk

We are excited to announce that Waterford students received three National Medals in this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Quoting from the award letter sent to our students: “This year, nearly 110,000 teens from U.S. territories, Canada, and every state in the nation participated in the Awards, entering more than 336,000 works for adjudication.”

Raneem A. ’26 – Leather Pools

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were established in 1923, and are the nation’s largest, longest-running, most prestigious visual and literary arts program recognizing the creative accomplishments of students in grades 7–12. Past winners have included many names you might recognize, including Stan Brakhage, Donald Barthelme, Sylvia Plath, Cy Twombly, John Updike, Andy Warhol, Kay Walkingstick, Truman Capote, Frances Farmer, Bernard Malamud, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Ken Burns, Richard Linklater, Lena Dunham, and Zac Posen. There are 28 award categories in which students can submit work (some examples: short story, fashion design, photography, memoir, printmaking, poetry, sculpture, painting).

You may already know that Waterford students did very well at the Regional level of judging this year—including a total of 27 regional Gold Key awards. Works that receive regional Gold Keys enter into the judging for national awards, where students can be recognized with even higher honors. The Awards serve as a launch pad for furthering students’ future success by providing them with access to scholarship programs and workshops, as well as the ability to have their work published and displayed in regional and national exhibitions.

Waterford is proud to celebrate these young artists:

  • Raneem A. ’26 – National Silver Medal in Photography
  • Vitalia S. ’27 – National Gold Medal in Photography
  • Michael V. ’27 – National Gold Medal in Drawing Photography

You can read more about the long history of the Scholastic Awards here:  https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/history/

Vitalia S. ’27 – Draining

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