The Long Island Scholar-Artist Awards Program, presented by Long Island Arts Alliance in partnership with Newsday, provides recognition and visibility for students who embody excellence in academics and the arts. Since its founding, the program has honored over 700 Scholar-Artists who have gone on to attend top universities, conservatories, and professional programs nationwide.
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Meet the 2026 Scholar-Artists and Merit Award Winners
We're thrilled to announce this year's winners of the Long Island Scholar-Artist Awards! These exceptional students have been recognized for their outstanding achievements in the arts across five disciplines: Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance, and Media Arts.
Media Arts
Kiley Barch, Huntington HS
Angelica Garcia, East Rockaway HS
Ava Maia, H. Frank Carey HS
Emma Wilck, Half Hollow Hills HS East
Merit Awards
Kaya Dobrzanski, Half Hollow Hills West
Mason Foster, Glen Cove HS
Grace Lu, POB JFK HS
Grace Lu, Syosset HS
Music
Edwin Ko, Herricks HS
Gavin Wahlen, Centereach HS
Serena Wu, Roslyn HS
Stephen Ye, Miller Place HS
Merit Awards
Justin DeRosalia, Newfield HS
Ava Helbock, Sayville HS
Timothy Sandbichler, Chaminade HS
Abigail Vuong, Locust Valley HS
Catherine Ziegler, Cold Spring Harbor
Theater
Isabella Ertel, Paul D. Schreiber HS
Ethen Hong, Syosset HS
Lucy Maniatis, Walt Whitman HS
Elanor Rubin, South Side HS
Merit Awards
Julia Gordon, Commack HS
William Herbert, Farmingdale HS
Carolyn Sparacio, Oceanside HS
Lily Wasoski, Huntington HS / LIHSA
Dance
Tessa Frascogna, Garden City HS
Madison Kayton, Half Hollow Hills HS West
Lina Murale, LIHSA / Bellmore-Merrick Central HS
Kate Sabellico, Walt Whitman HS
Merit Awards
Kako Murayama, Paul D. Schreiber HS
Anya Schade, Oyster Bay HS
Hannah Weiss, Oceanside HS
Visual Arts
Yeewan (Melody) Chen, Syosset HS
Sara Erxleben, New Hyde Park Memorial HS
Hang Mi, Manhasset HS
XinXin (Tina) Tu, Garden City HS
Merit Awards
Raven Canzoneri, Hicksville HS
Yijia Chen, John L. Miller Great Neck North HS
Alana Cornacchiulo, Bellport HS
Pavithra Eswar, The Wheatley School
Thank you to our program supporters
Awards Ceremony
On Tuesday, April 28, we honored the Scholar-Artist Class of 2026 at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, gathering students, families, educators, and school leaders for an evening of performances and celebration of Long Island’s creative young artists.
View the event program
browse the event photos
