BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is honoring 107 young artists and writers from across the state recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for their exceptional artistic and literary talent.
The students’ artwork and writing will be exhibited at BMAC from Saturday, Feb. 18, to Saturday, March 4, culminating in an awards ceremony at noon. The awards ceremony is free and open to the public.
Visual artist, graffiti scholar, and educator Will Kasso Condry, winner of last year’s inaugural Vermont Prize, will deliver the keynote address.
The award program recognizes aspiring visual artists and writers nationwide. Each year, students in grades 7–12 are invited to submit works in dozens of categories, including ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry, science fiction, and personal essay/memoir.
Submissions are judged on a statewide level, with the top award winners considered for national awards, including college scholarships, museum exhibitions, and publication opportunities.
Statewide awards consist of Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention. This year’s Gold Key winners from Vermont are listed below. A list of all Vermont award winners appears on the BMAC website at brattleboromuseum.org. National awards will be announced by the end of March.
Local 2023 Gold Key Winners from the Putney School include Joshua Beckwith, Sam Gottlieb, Isabelle Greenewalt, Iris Morehouse, Scarborough LeWine, Clementine Nicholas, Ilona Shaoul, all in grade 11; and Matilda Love and Yishan Hong, grade 12.
From Vermont Academy: Samuel Boxer, grade 11; and Nadine Doyle, Emma Laroche, and Hannah Sheehan, grade 12.
From Stratton Mountain School, Juliet Ragland, grade nine and Ainsley Goodman, grade 10.
From Brattleboro Union High School, Emily LaClair, grade 10; Genevieve Redmond, grade 11; and Habame Scholz-Karabakakis, grade 12.
Since its founding in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have nurtured the talents and helped launch the careers of many creative visionaries. Past winners include Truman Capote, Lena Dunham, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath, John Updike, and Andy Warhol.
BMAC has administered the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for Vermont since 2011. According to BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman, participation in the program has grown steadily since its inception. This year’s award-winning work was selected from among a total of 468 submissions by 269 students from throughout the state.