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Scholastic Art & Writing Award Recipients 2024
For over a century, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized and celebrated young creatives nationwide. The awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards”. This past year, students in grades 7-12 across the United States and Canada entered more than 300,000 original works in 28 different categories of art and writing.
Categories for submission include ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, poetry, science fiction, personal essays, and memoirs. Top award winners (Gold Key recipients) are considered for national awards, including scholarship, exhibition, and publication opportunities.
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) has administered the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for Vermont since 2011.
“We are fortunate to have so many talented students at Vermont Academy and this year’s awards certainly highlighted our artistic students across the board,” said Vermont Academy Visual Art Department Chair Lisa McNealus '79. “Our students were thoughtful about their entries and worked with each other and our staff to make final edits to their writing and art. For me, seeing that level of support in our community is another kind of ‘Gold Key’ win.”
Listed below are the Vermont Academy students who received awards:
Gold Key
Maya Carbone ’27
“An Internal Dialogue; in Hues; the Removal of Self.” − Painting
“Royal Fins Brigade” − Drawing & Illustration
Khiêm Nguyen ’24
“Càfê châ‘m bi” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Sydney Palmiotto ’24
“A Financial Burden” − Ceramics & Glass, American Visions nominee
Oliver Walsh-Fischetti ’25
“Guttus” − Ceramics & Glass
Silver Key
Cole Allen ’24
“The Light” − Photography
“Project Week” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Sameera Azam-Nooristani ’26
“Running Away from the Taliban” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Sofia Bianconi ’24
“Homework in the Oncology Unit” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Maya Carbone ’27
“On Display (Introspective)” − Mixed Media
“First Love” − Drawing & Illustration
Sydney Palmiotto ’24
“Chained” − Ceramics & Glass
“Sam Can't Sail” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Honorable Mention
Cole Allen ’24
“Photographic Impressionism” − Photography
Sofia Bianconi ’24
“Only Small Town Things” - Humor
Maya Carbone ’27
“Skulls & Koi: A Deck of Fate” − Digital Art
“Fleur-ishing into a dream (no longer in crisis)” − Drawing & Illustration
Delaney Cox ’24
“The Orange Skittle” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Lucas Hoffman ’24
“The Eroded Rock” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Khiêm Nguyen ’24
“Let me keep my own paint!” - Personal Essay & Memoir
Elizabeth Thompson ’27
“Just A Bit Crazy” − Ceramics & Glass
Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
