The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Announce 2026 Class of National Teen Medalists

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Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins named this year's Alumni Achievement Award recipient

NEW YORK, NY - April 3, 2026 - The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers has announced the 103rd class of National Medalists in the 2026 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.

This year, more than 110,000 teens from U.S. territories, Canada, and every state in the nation participated in the Awards, entering more than 335,000 works for adjudication. Nearly 92,000 regional awards were presented to 50,000 teens, and more than 2,500 works received national medals. These teens join the ranks of esteemed Awards alumni including Ken Burns, Kay WalkingStick, Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, Charles White, Amanda Gorman, Tschabalala Self, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tracy Reese.

The Alliance also announced playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins as the 2026 Alumni Achievement Award recipient. This annual accolade is given to esteemed alumni whose innovative careers have influenced their industries and who credit their Scholastic Art & Writing Award as a pivotal moment in their teenage years, providing confidence and encouragement to explore their creative pursuits. Jacobs-Jenkins will be recognized for this achievement alongside this year's national teen medalists at the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Ceremony on June 10, 2026, held at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City.

A Scholastic Writing Award recipient, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award-winning playwright. His plays include Girls, Everybody, War, Gloria, The Comeuppance, Appropriate, Purpose, An Octoroon, and Neighbors. He has taught at Yale, NYU, Juilliard, Hunter College, and the University of Texas-Austin and received honors including USA Artists, Guggenheim, and MacArthur fellowships, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama, and the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins shared, "Recognition by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards as a teenager was a major turning point in my journey as a young writer, giving me not just the permission but also the motivation to run after that dream of a life in the arts. To be recognized by this wonderful organization yet again and on the other side of that dream is moving beyond words. I'm so grateful for this full circle."

Christopher Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, shared, "The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are dedicated to empowering our nation's young artists and writers with a platform to express their creative potential. Every year, we at the Alliance are inspired and amazed by the passion and talent of teens from across the country. We are proud to recognize their remarkable work, originality, and artistic accomplishments. This year's national medalists join a distinguished community of esteemed alumni, including this year's Alumni Achievement Award recipient, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose dedication to his craft serves as a powerful example for these emerging young creators."

Among the 700 portfolios that were entered for national adjudication this year, 16 portfolios earned the program's highest honor, the Gold Medal Portfolio Award, which includes a $12,500 scholarship. Educators of the 16 Gold Medal Portfolio Award recipients will receive $1,000 awards. The 2026 Gold Medal Portfolio Award winners are:

Gold Portfolios Art:

• Jack Adams, Birmingham, AL
• Luke Haring, Lexington, OH
• Joyce Kim, Suwanee, GA
• Zoey Kim, Kensington, MD
• Jaden Poole, Fleming Island, FL
• Naisha Simon, Miami, FL
• Sea Sombar, Pittsburgh, PA
• Graham Zeppernick, Mount Pleasant, SC

Gold Portfolios Writing:

• Niamh Carmichael, North Charleston, SC
• Tika Gill, Harrison City, PA
• Ananya Kharat, Downers Grove, IL
• Isabella Lyons, Chesterfield, VA
• Adelaide Sendlenski, Brooklyn, NY
• Karmiah Smith, West Palm Beach, FL
• Kurn Sundaram, San Jose, CA
• Annabelle Taghinia, Newtonville, MA

In addition to the 29 eligible categories-including Photography, Novel, Ceramics & Glass, Poetry, Digital Painting, Drawing & Collage, Journalism, and more-students can also submit their work to a variety of sponsored award scholarships, funded by individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. These unique scholarships honor teens for their creative achievements while shining a light on meaningful themes. The 2026 Sponsored Awards include:

• The Flaunt It Award: Developed in collaboration with Don't Hide It, Flaunt It and underwritten by Don't Hide It, Flaunt It (DHIFI, Inc), RBC Foundation USA, and Morgan Stanley, the Award recognizes teens who look or feel different from their peers and share their personal story about what makes them unique. The Flaunt It Award includes two $2,000 scholarships (one for art and one for writing) for teens whose outstanding work explores DHIFI's theme: "The things that make me different make me, me." This year's recipients are:
  • Sean Chen, Hillsborough, NJ
  • Shreya Poladia, Austin, TX

• The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon: Underwritten by The Herb Block Foundation, the Award celebrates the legacy of four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Herb Block and his remarkable contribution to American history and free expression. The Award offers $2,000 scholarships to three teens whose visual art offers commentary on current events or political topics. This year's recipients are:
  • Annabelle Peng, Richmond, TX
  • Amy Shan, Davis, CA
  • Tim Wang, Duluth, GA

• New York Life Award: Underwritten by the New York Life Foundation, the Award offers $2,500 scholarships to ten teens whose works explore death and personal grief. This year's recipients are:
  • Isabelle Bye, Wauwatosa, WI
  • Minjun Sean Choi, Newtonville, MA
  • Jessica Yunlan Lee, East Providence, RI
  • Annie Wu, Mercersburg, PA
  • Lillian Zhou, Hudson, MA
  • Alexandra Brand, Los Angeles, CA
  • Megan Juld, Tampa, FL
  • Sahara Stewart, Bryn Mawr, PA
  • Ella Upadhyay, Brookline, MA
  • Yuechen (Cylina) Wang, Windsor, CT

Additional awards and scholarships for teens are made possible through the support of Arison Arts Foundation, Nancy and Jeffrey Bergman, BLICK Art Materials, Bloomberg Philanthropies, BR Printers, Command Companies and the Merson Family, Destina Foundation, GV Group, The Hearthland Foundation, Jill and Peter Kraus, The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, The New York Times, Dav and Sayuri Pilkey, Quad and The Windhover Foundation, and Hugh Roome, among others.

For more than 100 years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have been a safe space for teens to fearlessly explore their creative abilities and interests. The program has validated and championed teen voices and has served as a launching pad for bolstering students' futures by providing them with access to scholarship programs and workshops, as well as the recognition to have their work published and displayed in regional and national exhibitions.

To learn more, and to find a complete list of the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards national award winners, visit: artandwriting.org.

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 celebration, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. Annually, more than 100,000 teens across the United States and Canada enter original works in 28 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, and professional development for Awards alumni to pursue their creative endeavors.

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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