2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Update: April 6, 2023

Julian Lentchner ’23, Finn Nicolois ’23, and Melanie Shao ’24 received national recognition in the 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Melanie received a gold medal for her printmaking piece, “Fuji Reminiscence,” and Finn received a silver medal for his poem, “animalistic natures.” Julian won the American Visions Award for his photographic piece, “Perception.” This award is given to only one student in each region.

This year, The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers received over 260,000 submissions. This recognition places these students in the top one-percent of all submissions.

Read “animalistic natures” by Finn Nicolois ’23.

March 2, 2023

George School students were recognized with 73 awards in the 2023 Philadelphia Region Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, with 19 Gold Key awards, 24 Silver Key awards, and 31 honorable mentions. Students selected for these honors are among the top student artists and writers in the greater Philadelphia area. All Gold Key-awarded pieces are considered for awards at the national level. National award winners will be announced in March.

In addition, Julian Lentchner ’23 and Melanie Shao ’24 were each nominated for the American Visions Award. Only five students from each region are nominated for the award, and national jurors will award the honor to one student from each region. 

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers has presented the awards since 1923. The organization recognizes and supports the creativity of young adults across the country, and honors student work that demonstrates originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal voice or vision. 

“Our students work tirelessly in their respective studios to refine techniques and skills, while developing critical thinking and searching for their own voices,” shared Director of Visual Arts and Design Danielle Picard-Sheehan. “Each student recognized should be very proud of their achievements. These awards reflect the commitment our Visual Arts teachers have to opening the minds and imaginations of our students. I am grateful to my colleagues for their dedication to their students and for keeping expression and creative thinking a keystone of our community.” 

Head of the English Department Melaina Young ’93 shared, “At George School, students learn to use their voices to amplify and enhance their experiences, speaking their truth. They learn the importance of developing and refining one’s writing voice to comment on the world around us. Through reading and analyzing literature in a variety of genres, students learn what good writing is and how to harness the power of lifting their voices to let their lives speak.” 

Read Gold Key-awarded poems “Steady” by Rhianna Searle ’23 and “animalistic natures” by Finn Nicolois ’23 here.

See the complete list of recognized students below.

Writing

Arts