The 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Ceremony Celebrated the 103rd Class of Teen Medalists at Carnegie Hall in NYC

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Award-Winning Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Received the Alumni Achievement Award and Actor and Comedian John Leguizamo Addressed Award Recipients

Sarah Jessica Parker, Award-Winning Producer Marci Klein, and Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' Board Member Billy DiMichele Co-Chaired the Post-Ceremony Gala, Raising More Than $675,000

June 11, 2026 - New York, NY - On Wednesday, June 10, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for young artists and writers in grades 7-12, hosted close to 600 teen medalists from across the United States, U.S. territories and military bases, and Canada along with their families and educators at the storied Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall featured a special address by actor and comedian John Leguizamo, as well as the presentation of the 2026 Alumni Achievement Award by Chair of the Board of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Olivia Morgan, to playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who received multiple Scholastic Awards between 2000 and 2001. As a Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award^®-winning playwright, he is best known for his plays Appropriate, Purpose, and An Octoroon, among others.

In his acceptance speech, Jacobs-Jenkins thanked the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, saying, "[The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards] were the doors I walked through on my way to be who I am as an artist. They gave me an excuse to send my work out into the world and to receive affirmation from total strangers that I was on to something. Receiving this award tonight is such a full circle moment for me and I'm so grateful - to Maurice R. Robinson and everyone at the Alliance and to all the creative teens in this room tonight who are making and will continue to make the world I get to be in." He also shared his hope for the 2026 national teen medalists, "The great secret of life is that we all create the world together and everything you create begins as an idea that you choose and then commit to bringing into existence. And I want to congratulate you all on stumbling upon this secret and I encourage you to spread it through the work you do."

Leguizamo offered encouraging advice to this year's award winners: "Real art takes time and it hands power to people who may not have known they had any. It takes time to find your voice and even longer to stop apologizing for it…The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recognizes true talent. You are now part of something bigger than an award. You now have the power to tell your own stories. Lift each other up and work together. When the creative community is strong the work gets better and when the work gets better, the world gets a little better too. Keep creating, keep failing forward, and don't ever let anyone quiet your voice, including that voice in your own head saying you're not good enough."

Following the Ceremony, the evening continued at the Mandarin Oriental, New York, with the Awards' Next Century Gala, co-chaired by actress and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmy® Award-Winning Producer Marci Klein, and Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Board Member Billy DiMichele. The Gala, benefiting the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, raised more than $675,000 for scholarships, educators' awards, and general operating funds. Approximately 300 guests from the art, philanthropy, and publishing worlds attended the Gala.

Parker said, "I am proud to co-chair this year's Gala and to help elevate the voices and dreams of teens across the country. For young creatives, talent is only a part of their journey - the sense of community they will find in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is truly life-changing. It is a community that truly sees them, supports them, and reminds them that their voice matters. That kind of belief will carry them further than they ever imagined."

Christopher Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, shared: "At the Alliance, we are proud each year to celebrate the transformative power of creative expression by recognizing the extraordinary talents of our teen artists and writers and honoring our distinguished alumni, including Alumni Achievement Award recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who continue to make a meaningful impact on the world. It is an honor to provide a platform, supported by our educational partners, where young creatives can share the work that can shape their futures."

The evening also included the presentation of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' Leadership Award to long-term supporter and Next Century Sponsor BR Printers. BR Printers is a tech-forward, full-service printer and fulfillment company consistently delivering innovative print and related solutions to education, trade and children's book publishers and marketers.

Since its founding in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have provided a platform for generations of creative teenagers to create groundbreaking work that reflects their points of view and unique experiences, their communities, their passions, their fears, and their hopes for the future. This year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards received more than 335,000 works of art and writing submissions from more than 110,000 teens. The accomplished teens honored throughout the evening joined a famed group of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recipients, including Ken Burns, Kay WalkingStick, Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, Charles White, Amanda Gorman, Tschabalala Self, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tracy Reese.

Videos and photos from the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall can be found here: https://www.scholastic.com/newsroom/online-press-kits/scholastic-art-writing-awards.html

About the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides guidance, recognition, and support for the next generation of artists and writers, and the platforms for showcasing their work to a national audience. The Alliance administers the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a program that provides teens with opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. Annually, more than 100,000 teens across the United States and Canada enter original works in 29 different categories of art and writing. Beyond the Awards, the Alliance produces a number of programs to support creative teens and their educators, including the National Student Poets Program, a national exhibition program, cash awards, and recognition for educators.

For more information about the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, made possible through the generosity of numerous individual, foundation, government, and corporate funders, visit https://www.artandwriting.org. Additional details about the Awards can be found on the Scholastic Newsroom: https://www.scholastic.com/newsroom/online-press-kits/scholastic-art-writing-awards.html.

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