Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) announced on Jan. 29 the regional winners of the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Serving as the second-largest regional affiliate of the program, HCDE received more than 13,900 submissions from students in Harris, Galveston and Fort Bend counties this year. The number is almost 2,000 more than last year.
Presented by the nonprofit organization The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the country’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7–12.
This year’s American Visions and American Voices Nominees are below.
American Visions Nominees, Gold Key Art Awards
- Brenda Guzman Quesada, 9, Freeman High School (Katy ISD), “Blueprints of life,” Submitted through teacher Terrence Clark
- Juliet Zhou, 9, (Fort Bend ISD), “From Within,” Submitted through teacher Feng Zhu
- Faina Maredia, 12, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Houston ISD), “I Fear To Be Anything Less Than Perfect,” Submitted through teacher David Waddell
- Saj Evans McNallan, 11, Seven Lakes High School (Katy ISD), “Cousins,” Submitted independently
- Avery Wong, 9, Jeni’s Art, “Nana,” Submitted independently
- Faina Maredia, 12, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Houston ISD), “Dream Body,” Submitted through teacher David Waddell
American Voices Nominees, Gold Key Writing Awards
- Zinnia Garrett, 8, (Houston ISD), “America Reloads,” Submitted through teacher Megan Baxter
- Maithreyi Asthagiri, 12, Kinkaid School, “Dolled Up,” Submitted through teacher Angelique Jamail
- Alice Cancienne, 8, Annunciation Orthodox School, “Good Night Mystic,” Submitted through teacher Marian Rosse
- Emma Emig, 9, “The Bombs Came on Tuesday,” Submitted independently
- Asmi Santra Dastidar, 8, (Katy ISD), “The Window,” Submitted independently
For the complete list of 2026 regional awardees, updates and more information about the regional awards, please visit hcde-texas.org/scholastic-awards.