The 2026 Arts Awards are here! From standout performances to striking visual work, these students have defined what it means to be a creative leader at Poly. We’re proud to celebrate their talent, creativity, growth, and the generous spirit they bring to everything they do.

PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS

The Frank R. Hancock Award recognizes the musicians who make Poly’s arts community extraordinary. This year’s honorees—representing band, orchestra, vocals, and jazz—have pushed their craft to new heights and inspired everyone around them. Meet this year’s winners:

• Sylvie Dorsch ’26 (Band)
• Jasper Inamoto ’26 (Orchestra)
• Isabelle Kelley ’27 (Choral)
• Konatsu Iwai ’26 (Jazz)

Sylvie Dorsch ’26 has a natural talent on saxophone that she nurtures and is always striving to improve upon her playing abilities.

A dedicated Excellence in the Arts student, Jasper Inamoto ’26 has grown into an anchoring presence in the Advanced String Ensemble—and beyond Poly. He’s performed with Concerts in Motion and the NYC Googler Orchestra, leaving a lasting mark on everyone who’s heard him play.

From the Advanced Concert Choir to the Vocal Quartet to Assistant Music Director of the Upper School Musical, Isabelle Kelley ’27 brings outstanding talent, leadership, and an infectious drive to everything she does—elevating not just her own musicality, but everyone around her.

Konatsu Iwai ’26 has made an indelible impression on Poly’s music community through her dedication, creativity, and commitment to growth. She has inspired fellow musicians as much through her leadership as her artistry.

National Music Awards 

National School Choral Award

• Henry Crowley ’26

The National School Choral Award—the highest honor for high school choral performers—recognizes exemplary musicianship and a commitment to ensemble growth. This year, it goes to someone who has been the literal backbone of the choir for four years. Through busy schedules, solo sections, and music that stretched his boundaries, Henry Crowley ’26 has shown up, stood tall, and carried his section with his talent, patience, and dedication.

John Phillip Sousa Award Band

• Emilio Gittens ’26

The John Philip Sousa Band Award—introduced in 1955 and created with the approval of John Philip Sousa’s daughters—is the pinnacle of achievement in high school band, recognizing superior musicianship and outstanding dedication. This year’s recipient embodies exactly that. Emilio Gittens ’26 is a naturally curious, endlessly versatile musician who has mastered the timpani, glockenspiel, and whatever else the repertoire demanded—always eager to learn, always striving to grow.

National School Orchestra Award

• Diangely Llano ’27

The National School Orchestra Award is the highest honor for a high school orchestra member, recognizing excellence, dedication, growth, and leadership. This year, it goes to someone who has embodied all of that since Grade 7. Diangely Llano ’27 has grown into an integral leader of Poly’s strings program—balancing playing in both the US and Advanced String Ensembles while furthering her craft through the Conservatory Program and NYSSMA festival auditions.

Dance Award 

The Dance Award honors a dancer who leads with artistry, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to growth. Recipients bring both athleticism and expressive depth to every dance language they study and perform.

• Devon Jiang ’26
• Angelique Lopez ’26

Devon Jiang ’26 has approached every aspect of the dance program with discipline, integrity, and quiet determination—and on stage, it shows. Across both dance and musical theater, his strong technical foundation and deepening artistic clarity reflect years of focused, purposeful growth.

Angelique Lopez ’26 brings maturity, emotional depth, and a clear creative vision to everything she does—as both a dancer and choreographer, her movement is grounded, expressive, and uniquely her own. She leads with quiet strength, supporting her peers and elevating the ensemble with every performance.

Choreography Award 

• Akeelah Binns ’26

The Choreography Award honors a dancer whose creative vision, perseverance, and commitment to collaboration elevate the entire program—and this year, it belongs to Akeelah Binns ’26. As Co-Artistic Director of the Afternoon of Student Choreography, Akeelah led with empathy and intention, creating work rooted in emotional authenticity and personal reflection that resonated deeply with audiences.

Drama 

Walter B. Clark Drama Award

• Grayson Monacelli ’26

The Walter B. Clark Drama Award is given to the student who represents and exemplifies an outstanding contribution to, and excellence in, theater at Poly Prep. This year the honor goes to Grayson Monacelli ’26. Whether captivating audiences on stage or leading as an assistant director, Grayson brings a rare balance of artistic vulnerability and commanding presence to everything she does. We’re thrilled to celebrate her talents and work ethic.

Winder Drama Award

• Quinn Marloe ’26

The Winder Drama Award, named for David Winder, honors the student who has shown exceptional, sustained dedication to the theater program—particularly in technical theater and design.

Quinn Marloe ’26 has been the backbone of Poly Theater’s technical operations—running sound and lights, stage managing, designing, and building sets with tireless dedication and a genuine desire to master every aspect of stagecraft. This year alone, he oversaw sound for all productions and served as stage crew chief, recruiting and training the next generation of technical theater students. His leadership, work ethic, and generosity have left a lasting mark on this program.

Speech & Debate

Speech Award

• Eve Harris ’26
• Amara Johansson ’26

The Speech Award is given to a Grade 12 student who has achieved competitive success in speech and shown dedication to training future speech competitors.

Since first stepping into a Zoom room in Grade 7, Eve Harris ’26 has become one of the most accomplished orators in the NYC district—qualifying for State and National tournaments for three consecutive years and advancing to quarterfinals at States this year. As Co-President of the Speech team, she leads with focus, curiosity, and a razor-sharp mind, always lifting her peers while tackling the most challenging topics with poise and purpose.

Amara Johansson ’26 has risen to the top of Dramatic Interpretation in the country—qualifying for States twice, Nationals three times, reaching quarterfinals at NSDA Nationals, and currently ranked first in New York State. As Vice President of Speech, she is as generous a mentor as she is a competitor, consistently encouraging her teammates while pushing her own performances to greater depth and nuance.

Debate Award

• Ava Barbiere ’26
• Eric Barbiere ’26

The Debate Award is awarded to a Grade 12 student who has achieved competitive success in debate and shown dedication to training future debaters. This year the honor goes to siblings who leave Poly having achieved excellence of the highest levels.

Ava Barbiere ’26 has been the most decorated debater in Poly’s program—competing since Grade 6, qualifying for the NDCA Nationals twice, NSDA Nationals three times across two events, and the NCFL Grand Nationals four times across two events, all while earning the NSDA Academic All-American distinction for excellence in competition, academics, and service.

The ultimate team player, Eric Barbiere ’26 is a quiet, generous force who supplies younger debaters with evidence, files, and resources without ever seeking credit or praise. Competitively, he has mastered not one but two debate events, qualifying for the NDCA Nationals multiple times, NSDA Nationals twice, and the NCFL Grand Nationals four times across two events, earning NSDA Academic All-American honors along the way.

VISUAL ARTS AWARDS

Ceramics Award

• Leila Ross ’26

The Ceramics Award honors a Grade 12 student whose love for ceramics is matched only by her skill—in wheel throwing, sculptural detail, and the ability to transform conceptual thinking into imaginative, deeply personal work. Leila Ross ’26 has approached every piece, every critique, and every creative challenge with openness and joy, earning competition recognition and accolades while pushing her artistry to new heights along the way. Her work “Reaching In, Reaching Out” was selected by MoMA to be featured in their student exhibition Imagined Futures earlier this year.

Drawing and Painting Award

• Isabella Carire ’26 

The Drawing and Painting Award honors a Grade 12 student who moves beyond the literal into the conceptual—developing a distinct visual language through inquisitive, exploratory work and a commitment to building coherent compositions and compelling narratives across two-dimensional media.

During her tenure at Poly, Isabella Carire ’26 has developed a distinct and fearless artistic voice—experimenting ambitiously across materials, mastering the challenging medium of oils, and evolving from foundational skills to the challenge of creating comics. Her integrity, energy, and commitment to nuance have produced a body of work that challenges and captivates in equal measure.

Photography Award 

• Alex Basham ’26

The Photography Award honors a student who has demonstrated commitment and creativity in the art of photography.

Alex Basham ’26 has taken photography far beyond the traditional—shooting digitally, on film, and by drone. He has earned numerous Scholastic Art Awards for his work during his time at Poly. Most notably, he invented and built the first electronically-controlled, 3D-printed 35mm film camera, a remarkable achievement that blends his deep passion for photography with his brilliant technological mind. As a photography class intern, he has generously shared his expertise with peers, coached film development techniques, and even solved a critical software glitch that had stumped the entire technical team, demonstrating the same innovative problem-solving that defines his work. Alex embodies the spirit of creative inquiry at its finest.

Art History Award

• Carolina Lisk ’26

The Art History Award honors a student who has demonstrated exceptional scholarship and a deep, genuine commitment to the study of art history.

Carolina Lisk ’26 brought intellectual curiosity, passion, and a rare ability to connect and synthesize complex ideas to her art history classes. Her innate curiosity driven by a genuine passion for art, social issues, and writing has shown up everywhere—in class, in conversation, and on trips to the Brooklyn Museum, The Met, and The Met Cloisters. Carolina’s ability to weave complex themes like immigration, borders, and national identity across both analytical and creative work sets her apart. Her analytical writing, art-making, and genuine sense of wonder have made her a truly exceptional student.

Excellence in the Arts Award

The Excellence in the Arts Award honors students from the Excellence in the Arts program demonstrating a sustained commitment to Poly Arts. This award recognizes the challenges of creating work in more than one specific arts discipline, and rewards the perseverance, creativity, and determination to develop their craft through a more multidisciplinary arts experience.

• Maggie Cochran ’26
• Eden Golomb ’26
• Madeline Gross ’26

From her very first day at Poly, Maggie Cochran ’26 has been an unstoppable creative force—appearing in every play and musical possible, choreographing and performing in dance concerts, and developing a keen compositional eye through photography. Whether wielding a sword in She Kills Monsters, sporting a mustache and a southern accent in And Then There Were None, or soaring in a dramatic dance lift in this year’s dance concert, Cochran brings dynamic, vibrant energy to every medium she touches. Her multi-disciplinary artistry refuses to be confined—and the Poly arts community is all the richer for it.

Eden Golomb ’26 has built one of the most impressive multidisciplinary Arts Pathways at Poly—pursuing three years of Advanced Dance alongside Advanced Drawing and Painting Portfolio, Textile Arts, and more. As a visual artist, her prolific, diary-like work blends language, nature, and storytelling into compositions that invite viewers to unlock clues like in a puzzle. Her exploration of watercolor has evolved into mixed media, creating a dynamic interplay of form and gesture. In dance, she brings the same imaginative depth. She moves with clarity, musical sensitivity, and strong technical control. As Co-Artistic Director of this year’s Afternoon of Student Choreography, she helped shape the thematic concept of Dancing Through Nature into a cohesive, artistically unified program. Golomb’s ability to bridge visual composition and embodied performance is a rare and extraordinary gift.

Like her co-awardees, Madeline Gross ’26 is the definition of a multidisciplinary artist—presenting costume design work at the Roger Rees Awards Showcase at Lincoln Center, discovering and falling in love with oil painting this year, and competing in five different speech events across her time at Poly, making her one of the most versatile performers in program history. As Co-President of Speech, she has qualified for States and Nationals for three consecutive years, advancing to the top 20 at States in Original Oratory and qualifying for NSDA Nationals in Grade 11. Diving into oil painting this year, Madeline drew on the Hudson River School to fuse her imaginative vision with techniques like glazing, dry brushing, and wet-into-wet—scaling up her work in bold, dramatic new ways. Her love of making art runs parallel to a deep passion for artistic ideas, histories, and theory, as she demonstrated in her Grade 11 modern art history class.