22 USN artists among Scholastic Art Awards winners

USN art students earned 25 Middle Tennessee Scholastic Art Awards for their artworks on display in a Cheekwood Estate & Gardens exhibition Saturday, February 5 through Sunday, February 27.
By Trent Boysen, Arts Department Co-Chair

Congratulations to the winners of the 31st Annual Middle Tennessee Scholastic Art Awards.

This year 672 young, talented artists from 42 different schools across Middle Tennessee submitted 1,379 artworks for consideration. Only 5% of these pieces received a Gold Key, 7% received a Silver Key, and 15% received honorable mention. 

USN artists received six Gold Keys, four Silver Keys, and 17 honorable mentions. Additionally, Lin Zheng '26 received an American Visions Award nomination for her drawing "Safe and Sound." 

The 2022 Middle Tennessee Scholastic Art Awards exhibition will be hosted in the Frist Learning Center at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens from Saturday, February 5 through Sunday, February 27. Gold Key works will be displayed physically with Silver Key works displayed digitally. 

The awards ceremony recognizing selected students will take place virtually on Zoom on Saturday, February 5 at 10 a.m. Congratulations again to these exemplary artists; click the artist's name to see their award-winning works (must be logged into usn.org to view). 

Gold Key
Cinc Cox '26
Ainsley McMillan '22 (two Gold Keys; winning piece 1, winning piece 2)
Olivia Morrison '22
Hugo Ward '26
Lin Zheng '26

Silver Key
Kaya Booth '22
Omeed Irani '26
Braun Moore '26
Clara Smail '24

Honorable Mention
Jolie Booth '23
Elise Brown '22 (two Honorable Mentions)
Spencer Daniel '22
Evan Giles '26
Luca Lizarraga '26
Caroline McCarver '26
Olivia Morrison '22
Porter Ratliff '26
Arnav Reddy '22 (four Honorable Mentions)
Abigail Schoenecker '22
Willow Scott Barnes '26
Amelia Wang '25
Claire Ward '26
Back

More USN News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Construction progress as of August 7, 2026.

    Back Lawn transforms with turf field, track

    Expect to see an active construction site as students, families, and faculty return to the Edgehill Campus. Progress continues on USN's most anticipated campus improvement of summer 2026.
    Read More
  • In June 2026, a group of USN students spent two weeks in Mendoza, Argentina through a program organized by Sister Cities Nashville.

    Curricular travel opportunities return for the 2026-2027 school year

    University School of Nashville is excited to announce the return of curricular travel opportunities. Student applications for the 2026-2026 school year will open Friday, August 21, 2026. Additional details, including, financial aid processes, and application timelines, will be shared with families soon.
    Please contact K-12 Director of Experiential Learning Kalee Barbis with any questions, kbarbis@usn.org.
    Read More
  • Back-to-school Popsicle Party cancelled

    Mother Nature is not cooperating for our annual Popsicle Party. Depending on which weather app you use, actual and feels-like temperatures are 98 to 101 and higher. Under these conditions, we would limit student activities, so, in the interest of everyone's health and well-being, we are going to cancell our gathering at the River Campus. There is just not enough shade and certainly no air conditioning to bring relief to hundreds of USN families. Thank you for understanding. We look forward to seeing you in a few days for the start of our new school year.
    Read More
Archive
USN Mission: 
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.