***NEWS RELEASE***
Centreville, MD – Queen Anne’s County High School is pleased to announce that William Wyatt Arnold is a 2025 National Scholastic Art and Writing Award Winner. He won the Silver Medal for his exceptional work in Flash Fiction writing.
Regionally, Wyatt won 5 Silver Keys and 1 Gold Key for his entries in the flash fiction and short story categories. Entries that win a Gold Key are automatically considered for National Awards, including Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and scholarship awards. The National Silver Medal Award is a high level of accomplishment in this prestigious competition for creative teenagers.
Wyatt’s story, “Shouting Into a Deaf Ear,” captures a time when, after an apocalyptic event wiped out all of humanity, a man finds himself freed from the confines of society and decides to chase his lifelong dream of having his own radio station. Ms. Laurie Elben, Wyatt’s Creative Writing teacher shares, “The unique thing about Wyatt is his commitment to developing his craft on a daily basis. He enjoys taking constructive criticism, and he doesn’t settle for a first draft if it’s a story he believes has potential to impact an audience. Wyatt is also an avid reader, so I think he is inspired by the writers and the stories he reads.”
“We are so excited to celebrate Wyatt’s incredible achievement as a National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Silver Medalist — a first in our school’s history! His talent, dedication, and unique voice have set a new standard for excellence in writing. We couldn’t be more proud,” stated the Academic Dean, Dr. Billie Brice.
Nearly 110,000 teens entered more than 310,000 original works of art and writing, and Wyatt’s was selected for his “excellence in originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice and vision.”
His work will be featured in the online galleries at https://www.artandwriting.org/, and his name will be listed in Yearbook 2025, a companion to the annual art and writing anthologies that feature selections of works by National Medalists.
Download a PDF copy of the news release here.