Four Celebrated as Gold, Silver Key Winners in National Scholastic Art Awards

Webster CSD is proud to announce that four outstanding student artists from Webster Thomas and Webster Schroeder high schools have been recognized with top honors in the 2026 National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

The national awards represent the top tier of artistic achievement for high school students across the country. This year, three students from Webster Thomas High School earned National Gold Keys—a historic accomplishment. A student from Webster Schroeder High School also earned a highly coveted National Silver Key.

National Gold Key winners represent the top 1% of all works of art submitted nationwide, with more than 335,000 works of art being submitted to the Scholastic competition each year. Webster Thomas students Nyah H., Scarlett M., and Jolie O. are among this honored group. Nyah won for the drawing What it Meant to Be a Father. Scarlett won for an untitled charcoal drawing of a diorama. Jolie took home a Gold Key for the sculpture Shower Drain, Ugly Beauty #1. Nyah and Scarlett are students of Todd Stahl and Jolie is a student of Catherine Morrill.

Devon G., of Webster Schroeder, was awarded a Silver Key for an untitled oil landscape painting. She is a student of Catherine Zalewski.

In addition to her Gold Key, Nyah was selected as the American Visions Award winner representing the Western New York region. This is an elite national honor. Only 150 students are chosen from across the country for the American Visions Award, which celebrates works that display exceptional originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a strong personal voice or vision. Nyah will receive a $500 scholarship in recognition of this incredible achievement.

About the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Submissions are initially judged at the regional level by a panel of local artists and college art professors before advancing to the national level, where they are adjudicated for Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention recognition.

National Announcement Day took place on March 25. The Gold Key drawings by Nyah, Scarlett, and Jolie will be published online in the national gallery and may also be featured in a special selection of the 2026 Yearbook.

Select award-winners will be invited to celebrate their achievements in New York City during National Awards Week, which will take place June 9-11, culminating in the National Ceremony.

Congratulations to Nyah, Scarlett, Jolie, and Devon, and their dedicated art teachers for this monumental accomplishment!