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Congratulations to WCAAD 16-year-old student Qier Wang for winning the 2026 National Medal for the Scholastic Art & Writing Award.  The winning artwork is titled “Let's Rewrite the World In Flames (Painting).”  This year, over 336,000 works from more than 110,000 teens from across the United States and Canada were submitted.  Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Awards give students opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.  Since age 13, Qier has won the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for consecutive 4 years. 2022-23: 1 Gold Key Award, 2 Silver Key Award and 1 Honorable Mention; 2023-24: 1 Silver Key Award; 2024-25: 2 Gold Key Award; 2025-26: 1 Gold Key Award and 4 Honorable Mention + 1 National Gold Medal. 
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 Congratulations to WCAAD student Molly Li, 11 years old, for winning the Windrows Elementary School 2025-26 Year Book cover contest! The theme is “Excellence in Education”.  The design is themed around the underwater world, naturally incorporating the school’s symbol—the dolphin—into the artwork. Through rich layers of blue, it creates an atmosphere of deep-sea exploration, symbolizing students’ growth and discovery in the ocean of knowledge. Dolphins, sharks, and various marine creatures swim together in the scene, representing students of diverse personalities accompanying and progressing alongside one another within the same school community. Positive messages such as “Dive Into Learning,” “Be Your Best Self,” and “Believe and Achieve” are integrated into the design, bringing the theme of “Excellence in Education” to life in a vivid and tangible way. The bright circular area at the center highlights the school name and academic year, as if a beam of knowledge light is illuminating the path forward.  The overall piece is imaginative and childlike, while expressing a spirit of exploration and the pursuit of excellence in learning—a creative and meaningful school-themed design.  Molly has been learning art at WCAAD since 2023. “She has a fun and friendly personality that her classmates and I really like.” Her art instructor Ms. Noriko said, “We are thankful that Molly’s family drives a long way from Rancho Cucamonga to come to our school!”  This is the second year that Molly won the contest. She also won the Windrows Elementary School 2024-25 Year Book cover contest.  “As we have drawn more together, I’ve seen her grow much more confident, and her talent is truly blossoming!” Ms. Noriko said, “I love her kind personality and look forward to seeing her continue to make great progress!”  Congratulations to Gianna Xun on her acceptance to Art Center College of Design with a scholarship of a total of $60,000,，Parsons –The New School for Design with a scholarship of a total of $84,000, Pratt Institute with a scholarship of a total of $100,000; SVA-School of Visual Arts with a scholarship of a total of $68,000; Rutgers University； Northeaster University；She will pursue Design/Illustration major. More news to come …. Congratulations to David Zhang on his acceptance to USC，UC San Diego，UC Irvine，UC Davis and the University of Washington； He will pursue Chemistry/Material Science/Chemical Engineering major. More news to come ….  Congratulations to Claudia Chan on her acceptance to Art Center College of Design with a scholarship of a total of $40,000，Ringling College of Art and Design with a scholarship of a total of $60,000，Otis College of Art and Design with a scholarship of a total of$64,000，Pratt （Munson） with a scholarship of a total of $60,000，and SAIC-School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a scholarship of a total of $72,000. She will pursue Studio Art/Entertainment Design major. More news to come … Congratulations to Jerry Deng on his acceptance to Art Center College of Design with a scholarship of a total of $116,000，Roski school of Art and Design at USC，UCLA，Otis College of Art and Design with a scholarship of a total of $120,000，UC Irvine，UC Davis and Chapman University with a scholarship of $168,000 ; He will pursue a Graphic Design/Design/Media Arts major. More news to come … Congratulations to Isabella Liu on her acceptance to Art Center College of Design with a scholarship of a total of $108,000，SAIC-School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a scholarship of a total of $104,000，Pratt Institute with a scholarship of a total of $100,000, SCAD-Savannah College of Design with a scholarship of a total of $100,000，and Otis College of Art and Design with a scholarship of a total of $120,000. She will pursue an Animation major. More news to come … Congratulations to Dora Dong on her acceptance to Art Center College of Design with a scholarship of a total of $60,000，Otis College of Art and Design with a scholarship of a total of $100,000, and Pratt Institute with a scholarship of a total of $76,000. She will pursue Fashion/Graphic Design/Illustration major. More news to come … Congratulations to Nicole Chen on her acceptance to UC Berkeley in Engineering，Northwestern University in Design Engineering，NYU in Electrical Engineering，RISD-Rhode Island School of Design，UC Santa Cruz，UC Irvine; She will pursue Creative Technology/Engineering/Design major. More news to come … WCAAD Three Students Won County-level 1st Place Award at the 46th Annual LA Bookmark Contest3/25/2026 The county-level winners of the 46th LA Library Bookmark Contest were announced on March 24, 2026, followed by a grand award ceremony held at the Keneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Los Angeles. Three students from West California Academy of Art and Design (WCAAD) won the 1st Place Award in this year’s county-level finals: Alyssa Eng, 12 years old, Fifth District, Grades 4–6 category; Alissa White, 10 years old, Second District, Grades 3–5 category; Brian Liu, 9 years old, earned, Third District, Grades 3–5 category.  The 1st district supervisor Hilda L. Solis, the 2nd district supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, the 3rd district chair Lindsey P. Horvath, the 4th district supervisor Janice Hahn and the 5th district supervisor Katheryn Barger presented the awards to the winners. Among more than ten thousand participants, only 20 students countywide received top honors at the county level. Winners were selected from five districts, with only one finalist per grade group in each district.  Alyssa Eng’s bookmark titled “Enchanted by Reading” is filled with whimsical charm. In her artwork, a mermaid is immersed in a book, her long golden braid gently floating in the seawater—a symbol of the boundless imagination sparked by reading. The rich layers of color, along with the dynamic movement of fish and bubbles, bring the composition to life. With its exquisite detail, the piece captures the viewer’s attention instantly—a work that is both childlike and artistically accomplished. Alissa White’s bookmark features a vibrant backdrop of rainbows and a starry sky, creating a world full of imaginative reading. Colorful animals soar among the clouds and rainbows, circling around the word “READ”—a visual metaphor for the freedom and boundless exploration that reading brings. At the center, a young girl sits quietly with a book in her hands, the rainbow beneath her appearing to radiate light through her act of reading. The composition is bold and vivid, brimming with richness and motion, expressing the idea that “reading sparks imagination and sets dreams soaring” in a way that is both childlike and creatively powerful. Brian Liu’s bookmark, centered around the theme “READ & LEARN,” frames reading and learning as a journey of exploring the stars and the universe. Each letter is cleverly shaped into a spacecraft with fiery trails lifting off, adding a strong sense of movement to the composition. The detailed depiction of stars, planets, astronauts, and small spacecraft creates an immersive space atmosphere. The artwork not only reflects a child’s imaginative world but also conveys a meaningful message: reading can take us higher and farther. Since 1980 the County Library has conducted the contest to encourage children’s artistic expression, nurturing their love of reading and allow them to share their joy of books and the written word. The contest is open to students from kindergarten to 12th grade whose entries are judged in separate categories according to grade level. Each library selects a local winner in each grade level category in November. Grand prize winners for each LA County supervisorial district are selected by the Board of Supervisors in the spring. The three WCAAD students who received top honors at the county level previously won at their local libraries to qualify for the finals: Brian Liu earned 1st place in the Grades 3–5 category at the West Hollywood Library; Alyssa Eng won 1st place in the Grades 4–6 category at the Arcadia Live Oak Library; and Alissa White won 1st place in the Grades 3–5 category at the Lennox Library.
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