Bay Village Schools Announces 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Winners

Bay High School is proud to announce that 18 students received 34 awards in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Of these recognitions, 9 were Gold Key awards, 11 were Silver Key awards and 14 were Honorable Mentions. The Gold Key award is the highest honor of distinction in this competition, and these works move on to the National level of the competition.

“We are incredibly proud of our Bay High School students for their remarkable achievements in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards,” said Bay Village Schools Superintendent Scot Prebles. “This recognition serves as a testament to these students’ creativity and dedication to their craft. These honors not only celebrate their individual talents, but also reflect the strength of our art and language arts programs, and the unwavering support of our visionary educators.”

Bay High School English teacher Erin Beirne agrees.

“I’m so proud of all of the students who submitted work to this year’s Scholastic Writing Contest,” said Beirne. “Each student demonstrated a strong understanding of craft, took creative risks on the page, and leaned into their own voice and style. We are grateful for the continued support and celebration of the arts from the Bay Village community, which has truly empowered students to not only pursue their creativity, but build the confidence to share it with others.”

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. You can find out more here: https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/

Below is a complete list of Bay High School’s 2026 honorees.

Please Note: Senior Artist Sophia DiCicco has also been recognized by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) for her sculpture titled “For My Daughter’s Wedding.” This piece has been selected by the esteemed jury to be on display for the K-12 National Ceramic Exhibition during NCECA. Only 100 entries were chosen from 1,000 submissions. This recognition is not affiliated with Scholastic.

Art Winners

GOLD

• Melia French, Senior, Painting “Atlas”
• Martin Hausler, Senior, Painting “Emerging”
• Sophia DiCicco, Senior, Ceramics “Last Third of a Great Feast”
• Sophia DiCicco, Senior, Ceramics “For My Daughter’s Wedding”
• Rhea Klinger, Senior, Photography “Coming of Age”
• Rhea Klinger, Senior, Photography “When the Sun Hits”

SILVER

• Melia French, Senior, Drawing “Elk”
• Melia French, Senior, Drawing “Mage”
• Martin Hausler, Senior, Painting “Koala”
• Martin Hausler, Senior, Painting Portfolio “My Teen Experience”
• Martin Hausler, Senior, Mixed Media “Ephemeral Autonomy”
• Sophia DiCicco, Senior, Ceramics “Angel’s Snake”
• Maggie McCale, Senior, Photography “Minerva”

HONORABLE MENTION

• Martin Hausler, Senior, Painting “Jaded Wishes”
• Martin Hausler, Senior, Painting “Rotting”
• Maggie McCale, Senior, Photography “7:50 a.m.”
• Lily Young, Freshman, Photography “Early Fall”
• Jonah Czarnecki, Junior, Photography “Illusion”
• Brock Kunes, Junior, Photography “Owl Eye”
• Katie Rhea, Junior, Photography “Courtyard Daydream”
• Hannah Bergmann, Senior, Sculpture “Bite the Bullet”

Writing Winners

GOLD

• Cameryn Williams, Junior, Poetry to be a “camper”
• Ariah Baum, Freshman, Poetry “Two Worlds”
• Annalise Crites, Junior, Poetry “Magnificence”

SILVER

• Cameryn Williams, Junior, Poetry “Thanks”
• Cameryn Williams, Junior, Personal Essay & Memoir “Don’t Call It Anxiety”
• Kaitlyn Pistorino, Senior, Writing Portfolio “Kaitlyn Pistorino’s Portfolio”

HONORABLE MENTION

• Cameryn Williams, Junior, Poetry “Lost Prayers”
• Cameryn Williams, Junior, Personal Essay & Memoir “Of Life and of Lunch”
• Gracie Fitchpatrick, Senior, Poetry “For My Brother Charlie, Just Born”
• Gracie Fitchpatrick, Senior, Personal Essay & Memoir Lindford “Drive”
• Lauren Rowe, Sophomore, Novel “The Light in the Darkness”
• Leo Cal, Junior, Poetry “I think myself good”
• • Trey Hileman, Senior, Poetry “The Rotting Giant”