Two Island Pacific Academy students were honored this year in the nation’s longest-running recognition program for creative teens—the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. IPA’s talented Gianna Villavicencio ’27 and Zoe Murata ’26 are in good company, too, with the likes of a young Andy Warhol and Sylvia Plath among the awards’ distinguished alumni since its founding over a century ago!
Youth in grades 7-12 from across the U.S. and Canada were invited to enter their creative works in a variety of categories including illustration, photography, fiction, poetry, film, journalism and more, with an astounding 100,000-plus entries received. Applicants are awarded based on artistic vision—without the judges having knowledge of any bios or regional background—and submissions are reviewed first on a local level by affiliates of the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Those that receive Gold Keys are later judged nationally by a panel of industry professionals.
Gianna won a Gold Key in the 2025 Hawai’i Scholastic Art Awards for her digital work called “Tinikling”, unlocking additional opportunites through her exploration of traditional Filipino dance. “Tinikling” was exhibited this April in the prestigious Lē‘ahi Gallery of Capitol Modern: The Hawai‘i State Art Museum, and Gianna will soon join other Gold Key winners nationwide at a chance to take home scholarships and other prizes. Zoe Murata’s entry “Telephone Lines” was awarded an honorable mention at the regional competition.
Congratulations to Gianna and Zoe as they become part of this rich legacy of literary luminaries and visual artists!
