2017 Nebraska Young Artist Award winners announced

Fifty-three students from across Nebraska were selected for the 2017 Nebraska Young Artist Awards.
Fifty-three students from across Nebraska were selected for the 2017 Nebraska Young Artist Awards.

2017 Nebraska Young Artist Award winners announced

calendar icon15 Mar 2017    

Lincoln, Neb.--The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts has announced the winners of the 20th annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards.

The Nebraska Young Artist Awards annually recognize 11th grade students from Nebraska who are gifted and talented in the areas of visual art, dance, music, theatre, and film and new media. These students exemplify the pinnacles of creativity in one of the fine and performing arts.

Fifty-three students from nearly 30 high schools across the state have been selected to participate in the special day of activities on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at UNL.

Students applied for the recognition and submitted an example of their work. Applications were received from 126 students across the state. Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts faculty chose the 53 students who will come to UNL on April 5 to be recognized.

Honored students will take tours of the arts facilities, attend classes, meet faculty and college students and have lunch. Their parents will also be invited, and they will also take tours, as well as receive information on careers in the arts and college curriculum.

Students selected to participate in the Nebraska Young Artist Awards will also be asked to nominate the teacher who provided them with the greatest amount of mentoring and support in the development of their special talents.

The day will conclude with an awards ceremony. Students will receive a certificate, as well as a very special original piece of artwork commissioned for this event and created by School of Art, Art History & Design printmaking student Hannah Demma.



2017 Nebraska Young Artist Award Winners

Name High School Hometown Area
Emily Anthone Duchesne Academy Omaha Visual Art
Lillian Ball Lincoln North Star Lincoln Dance
Eloy Lopez Banderas Omaha South Magnet Omaha Visual Art
Brynne Biles Lincoln High Lincoln Theatre Arts
Karissa Boesiger Lincoln Southwest Lincoln Dance
Rosario Briganti Creighton Prep Omaha Film and New Media
Jack Buchanan Lincoln High Lincoln Theatre Arts
Alyssa Callaghan Omaha Central Omaha Dance
Haley Cecava Home School Lincoln Dance
Mackenzie Davenport Lincoln High Lincoln Theatre Arts
Sarah DeBoer Norris Firth Dance
Grace Dowd Home School Lincoln Music
Melanie Dowding Omaha Central Omaha Visual Art
Melissa Estrada Cozad Cozad Dance
Jessica Ferguson Omaha Central Omaha Music
Jared Fitzgerald Omaha Central Omaha Music
T.J. (Tyron) Foster Creighton Prep Omaha Visual Art
Owen Gong Millard West Omaha Music
Anna Greene Westside Omaha Dance
Peter Greff Home School Lincoln Music
Sydney Holdsworth Wahoo Wahoo Music
Mackenna Hunt Southern Valley Beaver City Visual Art
Gannon Ingalls Shelby-Rising City Seward Visual Art
Nathaniel Jennings O'Neill O'Neill Music
Emma Jewell Lincoln East Lincoln Music
Mary Johnson Bellevue East Bellevue Visual Art
Lauren Kucera Papillion LaVista Omaha Theatre Arts
Riley Lampman Papillion LaVista LaVista Theatre Arts
Sean Lebita Lincoln North Star Lincoln Music
Jae Hyun Lim Lincoln Southwest Lincoln Music
Lily Lundine Lincoln High Lincoln Theatre Arts
Chaz Maschman Waverly Lincoln Music
Marissa Mathia Home School Omaha Music
Leyten Morley Lincoln North Star Lincoln Dance
Annika Novotny Lincoln High Lincoln Music
Abigail Ostdiek Aurora Aurora Visual Art
Kayla Pracht Waverly Waverly Music
Maia Ramsay Lincoln High Roca Visual Art
Javier Rivera Creighton Prep Omaha Film and New Media
Seth Sandoval Creighton Prep Omaha Film and New Media
Nathan Schildhauer Papillion LaVista Omaha Theatre Arts
Kaitlyn Spaulding Cozad Cozad Dance
Isabella Starkey Lincoln Southeast Lincoln Dance
Bailey Steinbach Lincoln High Lincoln Theatre Arts
Bentley Tonniges Waverly Waverly Music
McKaylee True Lincoln East Lincoln Dance
Caroline Unger Millard West Omaha Dance
Alex Wesslund Lincoln North Star Lincoln Dance
Aaliyah Wilkins Cozad Cozad Dance
Anne Wiltfong Lincoln Southwest Lincoln Music
Ashley Woosley Holdrege Holdrege Visual Art
Hanna Wright Cozad Cozad Dance
Naomi Young Home School Gretna Music