Thousands of pieces of art were submitted and judged, and the winners have been chosen in the 2025 CNY Scholastic Art Awards, sponsored by M&T Bank and hosted by Onondaga Community College.
Students from 14 counties and 87 junior and senior high schools around Central New York submitted artwork for consideration.
In all, students submitted 4,555 pieces. A panel of professional artists, educators and photographers judged the pieces and selected nearly 1,300 works for Gold Key, Silver Key and honorable mention awards in 17 categories.
Last year, the Central New York Region produced 21 national winners.
The Scholastic Art Awards program, founded by Scholastic, Inc. in 1923, is the largest annual student art competition in America and the CNY region has participated for over 80 years.
A 1,400-piece exhibit of all the winning art is on display at the Whitney Applied Technology Center at Onondaga Community College through February 28.
The Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse will also display select works, from March 8 through April 6.
You can view collections of the Gold Key winners using the links below, and view the special awards below the links:
Special Awards
Purcell Construction Corp. Award for Best work in Architecture & Industrial Design
- Sadye Gitner, Fayetteville-Manlius High School
The Sage Scholars Educational Foundation Awards
- Best work in Printmaking – Megan Balunas, Cicero-North Syracuse High School
- Best work in Digital Art – Kaylie Vang, Liverpool High School
- Best 2-D Junior High artwork – Abbigail Whalen, De Ruyter School
- Best 3-D Junior High artwork – Trinity Stacy, Whitesboro Middle School
Clayscapes Pottery Award – Best work in Ceramics & Glass, Creative Design
- Callahan DeForest, Chittenango High School
Independent Potters’ Association of CNY Award – Best work in Ceramics & Glass, Functional Design
- Kelly Nadzan, Charles W. Baker High School
Tracy L. Haylor Craftsmanship Award
- Kayla Maloney-Hahn, Cazenovia Junior/Senior High School
Ron Hellmann Photography Award for Best Photo
- Rose Fallon, Manlius Pebble Hill School
Syracuse Cultural Workers – Peace & Justice Award
- Stella Arquiett, Norwood Norfolk High School
The Art Store Award for Best Painting
- Emma Rubar, Paul V Moore High School
The Art Store Award for Best Drawing
- Benson Lian, Jamesville-Dewitt High School
American Visions Awards recognizing the “Best of Show” from all Gold Key artwork
- Leigha Burnam, Paul V Moore High School
- Benson Lian, Jamesville-Dewitt High School
- Kayla Maloney-Hahn, Cazenovia Junior/Senior High School
- Emma Rubar, Paul V Moore High School
- Daly Warner, East Syracuse Minoa Central High School
Light Work Award for Best Photography Portfolio
- Olivia Dunn, East Syracuse Minoa Central High School
Onondaga Community College Award for Best Fine Arts Portfolio
- Brielle Smith, Norwood Norfolk High School