DC Metro
Writing Region of the
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
March 5th, 2023
UDC Theater of the Arts
4200 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC
About The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are celebrating 100 years as the nation’s longest-running, largest, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers. The Awards are administered nationally by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and locally through partnerships with regional affiliates.
The DC Metro Writing Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is administered through a partnership with Writopia Lab, and serves communities in the District of Columbia, northern Virginia, and southern Maryland.
This year, teens from public, private, or home schools throughout America submitted more than 300,000 original works to the Awards’ 29 categories of art and writing. The DC Metro Writing Region received nearly 2,000 writing submissions and awarded 428 teens a total of 133 Gold Keys, 201 Silver Keys, and 388 Honorable Mentions. All Gold Keys have gone on to further adjudication at the national level. National honors will be announced on the artandwriting.org website on Monday, March 22, 2023.
Submissions to the Awards are adjudicated blindly—jurors do not know the identity of student artists or authors. Jurors look for works that exemplify the Awards’ core values: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice.
The growing list of accomplished young writers recognized by The Awards has included Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, and Lena Dunham. Outside the arts, Awards alumni employ their creativity to become successful in any number of ways—leaders in fields including journalism, medicine, finance, government and public service, the law, science, design, and more.
About Writopia Lab
Founded in 2007 as a 501(c)3 non-profit, Writopia Lab fosters joy, literacy, and critical thinking in children and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing.
Every day at Writopia Lab, we witness the transformative power of being heard. Because of this experience, we are dedicated to giving teen writers the opportunity to be read—and celebrated—as part of the broader literary community. To help make this possible, we administer the DC Metro Writing Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Writopia Lab coordinates submissions, organizes the adjudication, and presents the Awards Ceremony for regional recipients.
Writopia Lab is a nationwide community of young writers that runs school-year and summer programs at locations in the metropolitan regions of New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area—as well as online and in-person programming throughout the United States and abroad. For more information about Writopia Lab’s programs, please visit WritopiaLab.org.
American Voices Nominees
Each year five American Voices Nominees are selected from the H2H Writing Region to exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice. During the national re-adjudication of all regional Gold Key works, the region’s American Voices medal recipient will be chosen from among these nominees.
Riva Jain, for The Interview (Dramatic Script)
Naomi Ling, for “Chinese New Year Rituals” (Poetry)
Salonee Verma, for “Attachment Theory” (Science Fiction & Fantasy)
Aileen Zhao, for “Catalog of Ants” (Poetry)
Chelsea Zhu, for “Piecing Together Fragments of Myself: The Puzzle of Finding My Voice” (Personal Essay & Memoir)
The ArtsFairfax Scholarship
ArtsFairfax is proud to present a $1,500 scholarship to a senior in Fairfax County whose poetry received recognition in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Mulan Pan, for “When I die I would like to be honored as if I were a blue whale” (Poetry)
Special Thanks
To our keynote speaker: Rita Feinstein.To our esteemed jurors, for providing their valuable time and expertise.
To Writopia Lab’s volunteer staff, interns, and student families.
To Hope Cagle at ArtsFairfax and Danielle Badra, the Poet Laureate of Fairfax County, for their ongoing and generous support of young writers in Northern Virginia. ArtsFairfax is the designated local arts agency for Fairfax County. Funding for the ArtsFairfax Scholarship comes from the Howard Uphoff bequest fund. Each year, ArtsFairfax offers scholarships to high school seniors in multiple arts disciplines through community partnerships.
Our Keynote Speaker
Rita Feinstein is the author of two poetry collections, Life on Dodge and Everything is Real, both from Brain Mill Press, and Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension, a young adult novel forthcoming from Page Street YA. Her stories and poems have appeared in Willow Springs, Salamander Magazine, and Beloit Poetry Journal, among other publications, and have been nominated for Best of the Net and Best New Poets. She received her MFA from Oregon State University, where she taught composition and creative writing, and now acts as the Regional Manager of Writopia Lab DC. You can learn more about Rita at ritafeinstein.wordpress.com and find her on Twitter @RitaFeinstein.
Gold Key Recipients
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Meredith Abramson Aleena Ahmed Soa Andriamananjara Carmen Ashworth Noor Azam-Naseeruddin Hermela Belay Nikhita Bhatt Grace Brady Taylor Burris Julia Carey Cameron Cates George Chang Meggie Chang Rose Chen Eesha Cherukuri Thanisha Chowdhury Ian Chung Laura Civillico Haley Dao Callie Deng Mia Dimina Sofya Donets Emily Dong Elana Ernst Dylan Furbay Ashley Galletta Alex Gonzalez Sophia Hall Daniel Han Hannah Han Milla Hébert |
Gabe Horowitz Sara Humphries Riva Jain Isaac James Cindy Jin Michael Joyce Hera Kim Katie Kim Sigrid Kim Youngjae Kim Taylor Konditi Arielle Kouyoumdjian Zack Lam Chloe Lee Stella Lee Christy Li Zhihan Liao Ruchel Limbos Naomi Ling Rosabel Liu Amasa Maleski Jada Mcafee Ruqing Mei Lyat Melese Janelle Mercado Mallika Mukherjee Bryce Myers Matthew Nam Arai Nazarova Marnie Nichols Gloria Owolabi |
Ellen Pan Mulan Pan Tara Prakash Anshi Purohit Melody Qian Sophia Ramirez-Jam Harper Rath Harry Reis Rachel Schneider Caroline Schwartzbeck Eden Sharon Renee Shi Sara Smith Madeline Sullo Aminata Tandina Tiffany Tang Imani Tigney Emma Tramontozzi Salonee Verma Mary Veselovskiy Clark Wanat Jackie Wang Venita Wang Hannah Williams Claire Xu Vivian Xue Alicia Yau Jennifer Zhang Aileen Zhao Chelsea Zhu Adrielle Lanae Zindler |
Silver Key Recipients
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Elizabeth Ahn Noor Azam-Naseeruddin Lane Bassett Nanaki Preet Kaur Bawa Zoe Becker Reyna Berry Nikhita Bhatt Elsa Boehm Anton Botelho Isabella Cai Jenna Cai Anna Callender Julia Carey Aaron Chen Eesha Cherukuri Sarah Cho Jake Choi Thanisha Chowdhury Maya Clancy Colten Clarke Henry Cohen Natalia Colder Jackson Dabich Elena Davis Egypt Dawkins Marley Derienzo Navin Desai Keira Distaso Yiting Dong Druan Donohue Elana Ernst Miriam Fabrycky Madeleine Freedberg Lingchang Fu Dylan Furbay Raina Gao Sebastian Ghersi Ava Ghods Isley Gold Tracy Gong Samantha Grayer Elizabeth Greene Stephanie Groves Levana Gu Sophia Hall Taebeen Han London Hershey Sara Humphries Riva Jain Sohan Jama |
Megha Jasti Sarah Jeffers Chloe Jeong Hannah Jeong Oleg Kaitov Sean Kalchbrenner Cormac Kaplan Hanaan Kazia Katharine Keeley Inaayah Khan Andy Kim Daniel Kim Ryan Kim Sigrid Kim Sunhee Kim Arielle Kouyoumdjian Zack Lam Alvin Lee Elle Lee Jayden Lee Jiwoo Lee Kiwon Lee Naomi Lee Sophia Li Yuanliang Li Ruchel Limbos Naomi Ling Charlotte Lipman Hannah Liu Charlotte Long Lindsay Lopez-Isa Lamken Kaitlyn Lu Aliyah Majeed-Hall Gabriela Manzano Norah Mccormick Cierra Min Will Mohler Maia Nehme Katherine Nurik Izzy Oh Kamtoya Okeke Ellen Pan Mulan Pan Eunice Park Kate Patrabansh Marie Paukstitus Sean Pham Tara Prakash Anshi Purohit Suneha Rahaman |
Joshua Reynolds Angelina Richter Estan Rodriguez Lauren Routh Ivy Sand Rachel Schneider Sandi Schneider Caroline Schwartzbeck Ben Shelsby Anna Shepherd Anna Shesol Renee Shi Quinn Shields Nandini Shyamala Kai Simkiss Eshaan Sombhatta Abigail Sterner Penelope Sutton Tiffany Tang Lynn Tao John Taylor Zsuzsa Teleki Lillian Tester Vachel Thevenot Katie Tibbits Alec Tworkowski Sophia Tzvetanov Salonee Verma Jennifer Wan Clark Wanat Cynthea Wang Jessica Wang Laith Weinberger Delilah Witkowski Sydney Wong Jasmin Wu Allison Xu Minna Xu Chloe Yan Hannah Yim Hannah You Jennifer Zhang Laura Zhang Aileen Zhao Evan Zhao Dejia Zhou Chelsea Zhu Adrielle Lanae Zindler |
Honorable Mention Recipients
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Scarlett Adams Elizabeth Ahn Joseph Ahn Anembom Akumbu Nourelhoda Alashlem Frederick Alfonso-Frank Oliver Alfonso-Frank Hanan Ali Soa Andriamananjara Nafisa Anjum Kesha Antsilevich Lauren Arnold Neha Asuri Adi Bala Ava Barcelona Nanaki Preet Kaur Bawa Zoe Becker Hermela Belay Maya Berdia Reyna Berry Ved Bhandare Elsa Boehm Antonia Brooks Eleanor Brown Srikriti Bulusu Carol Ceasar George Chang Ameya Chemparathy Katelyn Chen Taian Chen April Cheng Eesha Cherukuri Sarah Cho Grace Choi Jenny Choi William Choi Yoonsub Choi Ashley Chon Caroline Chou Anwesha Chowdhury Thanisha Chowdhury Connor Chun Henry Cohen Noelle Cosgriff Jackson Dabich Aeryn Dahm Haley Dao Elena Davis Cameron Demarco Navin Desai Gabrielle Dessin Keira Distaso Hyewon Do Christina Dodd Sofya Donets Makayla Donnelly Stephanie Dragoi Kathryn Earwood Aymaan Enayetullah Claire Fagan Natalie Faust John Fletcher Isabel Fowlkes Michaela Frey Lingchang Fu Dylan Furbay Camille Galvani Jennifer Gao Tony Gao William Gao Maya Garcia Payton Gerwig Sebastian Ghersi Lila Gibbs Tracy Gong Riley Gonzales Ananya Govind Gavin Grant Sophie Grard Elise Green Stephanie Groves Claire Guo Minsong Ha Sophia Hall Jonathan Han Yashna Hasija Samuel Hertzberg Alyson Hoffman Harry Holden-Brown Evelyn Holiday Benjamin Hong Darren Hong Gabe Horowitz Chelsea Hu Andrew Huang Jaye Huff Addison Huggins Sara Humphries |
Jiwoo Hwang Solenna Hye Oluwatoni Ikhile Anisha Iqbal Temilola Iwayemi Riva Jain Zora Jakes Hannah Jeong Danna Jia Emily Jia Christopher Jin Cindy Jin Addison Johns Elisabeth Johnson Virginia Johnson Anais Joubert Safinabonu Juraeva Sean Kalchbrenner Carah Katz Katharine Keeley Arin Kim Daniel Kim Irene Kim Katie Kim Seokjun Kim Sigrid Kim Sunhee Kim Eleanor Kluger Ahroh Ko Lyerly Kois Srivaishnavi Kommireddy Arielle Kouyoumdjian Moubon Kurukumbi Cate Lagarde Zack Lam Piper Langenfeld Elliana Leach Elle Lee Jayden Lee Joonwon Lee Michael Lee Amber Li Carol Li Elsa Li Sophia Li Preston Lieu Ruchel Limbos Sophia Lin Naomi Ling Charlotte Lipman Cassie Liu Zheyin Liu Holden Lombardo Charlotte Long Natalie Lopresti Mary Loreto Sabrina Lu Yun Lu Cindy Huixiu Luo Eileen Luo Isabel Lustbader Beck Maddison Madeline Magielnicki Amasa Maleski Ruthika Mamidi Nick Marino Everett Mascott Aubree Masud Beatrix Maynard Ryhanna Mbakop Brinn Mcclintic Kiersten Mcclure Brenna Mcguire Leah Mcnamara Eleanor Meehan Charlie Meidlinger Lyat Melese Lucy Mencimer Amerina Miller Lilly Miller Cierra Min Shreyan Mitra Nour Mokbel Alexandra Mooney Amy Nam Maia Nehme Logan Nguyen Milan Nguyen Summer Nixon Amelia Oscherwitz Iris Ou Tina P Zoey Pagotto Mulan Pan Phoebe Pan Christina Park Kate Patrabansh Olivia Phelps |
Tara Prakash Melody Qian Rouhan Qian Avi Qin Sumra Rahman Maya Ray Nia Reese Harry Reis Emily Reisman Joshua Reynolds Angelina Richter Anniyah Rizvi Estan Rodriguez Annalise Ross Jiwon Ryu Tessa Sagner Hana Sakr Juliana Salvado Ivy Sand Aneri Sanghani Rachel Schneider Caroline Schwartzbeck Claire Schwentker Samuel Seipt Grace Semko Nathan Shan Avram Shapiro Ananya Sharma Daniel Shen Renee Shi Haohan Sima Sienna Simms Rachel Smith Changze Song Xinuo Song Ash Srinivas Theodore Stiklorius Ehukai Sugai Olivia Sun John Tan Lynn Tao Amelia Taylor Mia Templeton Vachel Thevenot Maggie Tirona Giorgia Toti Anh Tran Ayush Tripathy Marielle Unger Lauren Upadhyaya Emma Vandegrift Diego Vega Salonee Verma Mary Veselovskiy Alexandra Volat Cynthea Wang Daniel Wang Jackie Wang Jessica Wang Jiayi Wang Laura Wang Michelle Wang Zirui Wang Jinara Weerakoon Laith Weinberger Claire Weiss Aiden Wetterhan Cora Weymes Danielle White Grace Widjaja Hannah Williams Byron Wu Mengtong Xiang Harry Xiao Allison Xu Katherine Xue Vivian Xue Angela Yan Chloe Yan Ziming Yan Stephanie Yang Hannah Yim Amy Yoo Jason Yoo Hannah You Jason Youm Allen Zhang Evan Zhang Megan Zhang Aileen Zhao Nathan Zhong Chelsea Zhu Jianing Zhu Paige Zhu Adrielle Lanae Zindler Eric Zou Jiayin Zou |
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