Archmere Art Students Recognized With 134 Scholastic Art Awards!

1/28/2026

Sixty Archmere Academy Art Students Recognized with 134 Individual Awards & 8 Portfolio Awards in 2026 Scholastic Art Competition, winning the most awards of any school in the State of Delaware for the 6th Consecutive Year!

To view a slideshow of the award-winning student art and design, please click here

Archmere Academy students were awarded a total of 134 individual awards across 12 distinctive art and design categories in the 2026 Scholastics Art & Writing Awards competition. Notable highlights this year include a record number of awards to a single student in the category of Fashion Design, with Giancarlo Flaherty ‘26 winning 4 Merit Awards, 1 Silver Key, and a Silver Key for his Fashion Portfolio. Sophia Silverman ‘28 was recognized with a total of 12 individual awards across five different art and design categories, including three individual Gold Keys, the most individual awards for a single student Delaware for the second year in a row. Notably, Archmere Academy was the only school in the State of Delaware recognized with awards in the category of Architecture & Industrial Design, with 6 individual awards in this category, with Mason Kohl ‘26 winning a Gold Key for an original laser cut furniture design. Seniors won a record number of Art Portfolios (8): Abby Leonardo ‘26 (Gold Key, Digital Art), Andres Ramos ‘26 (Gold Key, Photography), Giancarlo Flaherty ‘26 (Silver Key, Fashion), Rebecca Wang ‘26 (Mixed Media), Brittany Coant ‘26 (Painting, 2 Merit Awards), Michael Mallozzi ‘26 (Merit Award, Painting), and Kayla Anzilotti (Merit Award, Ceramics). Archmere won the most awards of any school in Delaware in Experimental Photography, a new category of the competition, with Alice Zhang ‘27 recognized with 4 individual Experimental Photography awards, and Jennie Huang ‘27 recognized with a Gold Key in Experimental Photography.

What is Scholastics?

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition is the nation's longest-running and most prestigious contest for creative teens. Luminaries such as Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Stephen King and Sylvia Plath were all first recognized in this contest when they were in high school.

Gold Keys represent the top 5% of entries in any given category
Silver Keys represent the top 10% of entries in any given category
Merit Awards (Honorable Mentions) are still significant, the judges recognize elements of technical skill and personal vision/voice in your work that deserves commendation.

What is next for award winners?

All pieces awarded a Gold Key at the regional (state level) are then advanced to the National level for additional awards, exhibition, publication, and scholarship opportunities. National Medals will be announced in March 2026.

The 2026 Delaware Scholastic Art Awards Gold Key Awards Art Exhibition is on view from January 26-February 14, 2026 at the Art Center Gallery at Delaware State University. NOTE: Only Gold Key work is on view in this exhibit.

The Gold Key Reception for Gold Key winners and their families will be on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 1:00pm-3:00pm at the Art Center Gallery at Delaware State University.

All Silver and Gold Key work and feature all award-winning Senior Portfolios will be exhibited in the upcoming April Fine Arts Festival, our amazing “must see” art showcase event in the Patio, April 24th, 2026 at 6:30pm. Be sure to save the date!

Competition Category Descriptions
Click here to view the full list of winners by awards category

ART PORTFOLIO: 8 Awards

Category Description:

Open only to 12th graders, the portfolio category consists of a series of 6 distinct works that communicate a single cohesive idea or visual investigation. The works may come from one category or any combination of multiple categories.

ARCHITECTURE & INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: 6 Awards

Category Description:

Building designs, landscape designs, interior designs, urban plans, or product designs. Can include 2D work such as hand-drawn sketches, computer-aided designs, blueprints, and floor plans, or 3D work such as handmade or 3D printed scale models, maquettes, or prototypes. Includes industrial designs, plans for models of structures, environments, systems, or products.

CERAMICS & GLASS 13 Awards

Category Description:

Handcrafted objects made from ceramics or glass.

DRAWING & ILLUSTRATION: 28 Awards

Category Description:

Art that is composed of marks made with a manual or mechanical instrument on a two-dimensional surface. Drawings include all renderings made by an instrument on a surface and may include formal, realistic and/or abstract imagery. Illustrations are works that graphically depict a concept or subject. Either drawings or drawn illustrations may be submitted to this category.

DIGITAL PAINTING, DRAWING & COLLAGE: 8 Awards

Category Description:

Artwork created digitally and intended to exist in a digital space or images that are heavily collaged or manipulated from found image(s) (i.e., not photographs taken by the participant) to produce a new image using digital tools.

FASHION: 11 Awards

Category Description:

Articles of clothing or fashion accessories other than jewelry.

PHOTOGRAPHY: 10 Awards

Category Description:

Images captured by either an analog or digital camera.

EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: 7 Awards

Category Description:

Images captured by either analog or digital camera that are then collaged, cloned, layered, merged, distorted, or heavily manipulated either physically or digitally. This category also includes images captured via experimental methods (including, but not limited to, cyanotype photographic images, pinhole camera, etc.)

PRINTMAKING: 1 Award

Category Description:
Work made by transferring ink from one prepared surface (plate, screen, etc.) onto paper or another flat surface.

SCULPTURE: 10 Awards

Category Description:
Three-dimensional art objects created by carving, casting, or other shaping techniques that can have interactive qualities.

PAINTING: 19 Awards

Category Description:

Art created by applying pigment to a two-dimensional surface.

MIXED MEDIA: 16 Awards

Category Description:

Art made from more than one medium, usually with a three-dimensional element.

GRAPHIC DESIGN: 5 Awards

Category Description:

Art created for commercial or applied purposes. This includes graphic design work that has a defined use such as advertising or communications.

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