A total of 15 Chatham High School students have recently won and earned recognition in the 2025 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards—one of the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious competitions for creative teens. Critically acclaimed authors have been considered alumni of the competition, including names such as Stephan King and Sylvia Plath.
Founded in 1923, the non-profit organization has recognized countless students for their creative achievements in art or writing categories over the years. Students have the opportunity to submit their artwork in the fall, where entries are earned merit and awarded based on originality, technical skill, and personal voice or vision. These entries are judged through blind adjudication; jurors display no knowledge of the student’s grade level, gender, or age. Furthermore, those who earn a Gold Key in the regional competition advance to the national level, which opens the door for multiple scholarship programs and has the opportunity to be honored at the Scholastic Awards Ceremony in Carnegie Hall in the summer.
Senior Julia Schramm won two Honorable Mentions for her poems, “Setting Sun” and “Sonnet 1” in the competition.
CHS junior Diya Nandakumar was awarded a Gold Key for her poem, “The Ballad of the Ballot” and has also won a Silver Key for another poem titled, “Shambles and a Pair of Shoes.” Nandakumar’s poem will advance to the national level in June.
Another junior, Ecrin Mumcuoglu also won a Silver Key in her personal memoir titled, “What’s in a Name?”
Furthermore, juniors Sabrina Wang, Natalie Hefferon, and Jonas Wilcox received Honorable Mentions for their pieces. Wang was awarded for her poetry piece, “Mau Ke Aloha, a Letter to a Spirit,” while Hefferon received one for her flash fiction story titled, “Dedicated to Unknown.” Wilcox was also honored for their poem titled, “t1/2.”
Sophomore Teesta Bhola-Shah has also received two Silver Keys for her short story named, “Aspen” and her critical essay, “Bloodlines and Beyond: Unpacking Mark Trecka’s ‘Seeping Through the Pages.’” She also earned two honorable mentions for her poems titled, “five pounds” and “procrastination.”
Freshmen students were also recognized as well, largely in poetry. Aishani Gosh received a Silver Key for her poem, “Where I’m From.” Kelly Nie also won three honorable mentions in multiple categories; “AI-Illuminating Early Detection: A New Era in Breast Cancer Diagnosis” for journalism and “Beyond the Kimono” and “Encyclopedia of My Ordinary Life” for personal essay. Maya Ben Dror won for her poem titled, “Sorrow is an Ocean.” Finally, Adriana Antoniades received a Silver Key for her personal memoir, “What’s in a Name?”
Two other sophomore students have also won Silver Keys in the Critical Essay category. Lara Paglinawan received a key for her essay titled, “The Scarlet Letter: Misogyny in a Post-Puritan World.” Meanwhile, Genevieve Stanley also received one for her essay, “Sunburns: An Anthropocene Reviewed-Inspired Essay.” Joana Jayanth also received three honorable mentions for her poems, “Girls!,” “I am the Ship at Sea,” and “Red Sun, Blue Moon.”
These students have all received a certificate congratulating their achievements and should be commended for their outstanding creativity. Teesta Bhola-Shah expresses her pride in her workt: “I’m really proud of my work, and I think I put a lot of effort into it this year. The competition was really tough, though, but I’m very happy with what I submitted. I think it’s a great competition for anyone to submit to—it can really boost your confidence in writing!”
Earning such recognition is no small feat and each student should be proud of the dedication and effort they put into their work!