For seniors Marley Murajda and Eleanora Wilson, art has been their passion since they were in grade school.
“Ever since I learned how to hold a pencil. I’ve always loved art, from elementary school up until now,” Murajda said.
Wilson agreed.
“I’ve been doing it for a very long time, basically since elementary school,” Wilson said. “I wanted to be an artist when I grew up.”
Their longstanding dedication to their artistry paid off this year, as they were both 2025 Scholastic Art Award winners.
The Scholastic Art Awards are Pittsburgh’s largest regional art competition, held at Carnegie Mellon University.
“It’s the most prestigious and the longest-running art exhibition and competition in our area,” art teacher Nicole Flannery said.
Flannery has taught both Murajda and Wilson in the past, and she was able to recognize their natural talents immediately.
“I remember Ellie’s first project with me, a chalk pastel parrot, and I was amazed with how advanced she was with the coloring and positioning,” Flannery said.
As for Murajda, when she was working on a pen and ink flower project several years ago, she came up with the idea of adding bones that the flowers came out of. The following year, Flannery had the students incorporate bones into their drawings.
“Marley, she inspired me to change an entire project,” Flannery said.
Both Murajda and Wilson were awarded Gold Keys, the highest level of award, and both also received separate honorable mentions.
“My Gold Key was a ceramic plate I made of a whale shark,” Murajda said. “My honorable mentions were a drawing and an oil painting.”
“My ceramic plate that I named ‘Confetti Kaleidoscope’ won a Gold Key,” Wilson said. “My honorable mentions were a couple more ceramic plates and a painting of a puffin.”
The awards competition draws over 40 public and private schools from Pittsburgh and the surrounding region, making winning the awards more difficult but also more meaningful.
“The awards mean a lot to me. I felt really good about winning,” Wilson said.
“It’s a pretty big award to get. I was very happy to receive a Gold Key and honorable mentions because I have submitted stuff in the past and only got honorable mentions,” Murajda said. “It also looks good for resumes or any other art thing that would come my way.”
