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15 Shady Side Academy Senior School students were recognized with 46 regional Scholastic Art Awards in the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. A panel of art professionals and educators selected the students' artwork as the best submitted by teens in grades 7-12 in the Pittsburgh Arts Region (Allegheny and Butler Counties). The students earned 11 Gold Keys, 11 Silver Keys, and 24 Honorable Mentions. 

Gold Key Winners

Gold Key-awarded entries are automatically considered for national awards, including Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and scholarship opportunities. These works are being judged at the national level in New York City this year. This year's Gold Key winners include:

• Junior Ben H.: One Gold Key for Total Duality
• Junior Rohan K.: Five Gold Keys for Crowned Majesty, Crown Jewel, Glide of the Goldeneye, Reflected Elegance, and Winter Watch 
• Sophomore Angel L.: One Gold Key for Cabinet of Curiosities 
• Ninth-grade student Felix L.: One Gold Key for Serendipity
• Junior Thomas W.: Three Gold Keys for Cliffside Cavern's Hidden Jewel, Father Time(less), and Man in Black 

Silver Key Winners

Several students won Silver Keys for their outstanding work, including:

• Ninth-grade student Ella C.: One Silvey Key for The American Dream
• Junior Rohan K.: Two Silvey Keys for 3 Headed Wonder and Victorious Flight
• Sophomore Angel L.: One Silvey Key for Inordinate 
• Ninth-grade student Felix L.: One Silvey Key for The Jump
• Ninth-grade student Uma P.: One Silvey Key for Generations in Motion
• Ninth-grade student Angela T.: One Silvey Key for Spark
• Junior Thomas W.: Two Silvey Keys for All Good Things (Come To An End) and Fashion Manifesto
• Senior Tessie W.: Two Silvey Keys for drunk and invitation

Honorable Mentions

The following students received Honorable Mentions for their artwork:

• Senior Anna A.-P.: One Honorable Mention for Hide n Seek
• Ninth-grade student Ella C.: One Honorable Mention for Is Anyone in There? 
• Junior Rohan K.: Four Honorable Mentions for Amber Majesty, Kick Start, King of the Alpines, and Nose to Petal: A Ground Squirrel’s Gentle Curiosity
• Sophomore Roshan K.: One Honorable Mention for The Sands of Conflict: The Judean Desert
• Junior Alex M.: One Honorable Mention for Decadence
• Junior Dominic P.: One Honorable Mention for Wunderbar Honey
• Ninth-grade student Uma P.: Five Honorable Mentions for Infestation in Bloom, Nature’s Rubies, Keyhole, Rooted in Resolve, and Trail over Timeless Currents
• Junior Diya S.: Three Honorable Mentions for Earthware Vase, Egyptian Hourglass, and Jasmine Bud Vase
• Sophomore Allison S.: One Honorable Mention for Flowered Dragon
• Ninth-grade student Angela T.: One Honorable Mention for Holes
• Senior Tessie W.: One Honorable Mention for nature odyssey
• Junior Thomas W.: Four Honorable Mentions for [Fall]ingwater, Just Stay Still, Leading the Wave, and You Must (Not) Stay Back.

Students’ winning submissions will be exhibited at the Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts & Kresge Theater from February 26–March 9 (M-F 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; Saturdays Noon-5:00 p.m.). An Art Show will occur on Sunday, March 9, with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. and a ceremony at 3:00 p.m. 

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation's longest-running and most prestigious educational initiative supporting student achievement in the visual and literary arts. The program has a 100-year legacy of being the first to acknowledge creative talent and remains the largest source of scholarships for creative teens. Learn more at www.artandwriting.org.