Shady Side Academy students win art, writing awards

Forty-two Shady Side Academy students in grades 7-12 won 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for 95 original works.

The students won 19 Gold Keys, 31 Silver Keys and 45 Honorable Mentions. The Gold Key-winning works will advance to the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition, and national medalists will be announced in March.

Nineteen students were recognized at an exhibition and awards ceremony on Feb. 25, at Carnegie Mellon University’s Hall of Fine Arts. One Gold Key-winning work, “Wonder Girl” by sophomore Sarah Voigt of Fox Chapel was nominated for the American Voices Award.

Four students won awards in both art and writing: sophomore Cathy Jin of Harmar, junior Sophia Sandholm of Shadyside, eighth grader Hanna Singhi of Sewickley Hills and sophomore Sunny Zhao of Aspinwall.

Gold Key Winners in Art

Junior Sophia Jho of McCandless – two Gold Keys for painting, plus one honorable mention

Junior Yuntong Pan of China – one Gold Key for Painting.

Senior Maria Schwendeman of McCandless – two Gold Keys for Painting and for Art Portfolio, plus five Silver Keys and four Honorable Mentions

Senior Larry Wang of Fox Chapel – one Gold Key for Architecture & Industrial Design, plus two Silver Keys and thee Honorable Mentions

Sophomore Tessie Wong of the United Kingdom – one Gold Key for Digital Art, plus one Silver Key

Sophomore Sunny Zhao of Aspinwall – three Gold Keys for digital art and plotography, plus one Silver Key; one gold and one silver key in writing

Gold Key Winners in Writing

Eighth grader Jack Bitsoff of Fox Chapel – one Gold Key for Personal Essay & Memoir

Senior Elaine Gombos of O’Hara – one Gold Key for Critical Essay

Sophomore Avery Litwin of Shadyside – one Gold Key Short Story writing

Junior Otis Liu of McCandless – one Gold Key for Novel Writing

Eighth grader Hanna Singhi of Sewickley Hills – one Gold Key for Critical Essay, plus one Honorable Mention; also won two Honorable Mentions in art

Sophomore Sarah Voigt of Fox Chapel – one Gold Key, plus an American Voices Award nomination for Flash Fiction; one Gold Key for Poetry

Eighth grader Brandon Wu of McCandless – one Gold Key for Personal Essay & Memoir

Sophomore Sunny Zhao of Aspinwall – one Gold Key for Short Story, plus one Silver Key