Fox Chapel students win national medals in art and writing

Two Fox Chapel Area High School students were named national winners in the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In the art portion of the national contest, sophomore Nicholas Goodman won a Gold Medal for his photograph titled “Memory of Quebec.” In the writing portion of the national contest, senior Anna Ferris won a Silver Medal for her short story, “The Last Line of Defense.”

This year, more than 260,000 works of art and writing were submitted by students in grades 7-12 through regional contests. Prior to being named national winners, Nicholas and Anna were named Gold Key winners in the 2022 Pittsburgh Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. At the national level, the works of art and writing were judged by a panel of creative-industry experts, and less than 2,000 received national Gold or Silver Medals. Only the top 1% of all entries earn national recognition.

For being named a national Gold Key winner, Nicholas and his teacher, Amy Wickman, have been invited to attend a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 9. Additionally, Nicholas’ photograph will be published in the Online Galleries at artandwriting.org in June. His name will also be listed in Yearbook 2022, a companion to the annual publications Best Teen Art and Best Teen Writing, which feature selections of works by national medalists.

According to Chris Wisniewski, the executive director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization that presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, “Each year we are continually impressed by the level of creativity demonstrated by our nation’s teens. Even more impressive are the individuality, vulnerability, sensitivity, and passion reflected in their work. Teens and their teachers have been living through truly unprecedented times, enduring unbelievably challenging circumstances.”

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards continues to be the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S.