Hanning Yan '25 is a national gold medalist in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her poem "The Significance of Small Suns." 

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation's longest-running, most prestigious educational initiative supporting student achievement in the visual and literary arts. The program has an impressive legacy of being the first to acknowledge creative talent and is today's largest source of scholarships for creative teens.

About her poem, Yan writes: 

I wrote this poem for my mother. It is born from the truth: my mom did tell me a similar story about her childhood and upbringing in China, where we are from. This poem is in honor of her, the things she's been through, and her immigrant experience, one I am fortunate enough to learn about. Finding the connections between our old lives and new ones allow us to honor and recognize what binds us to the things that shape us. Even an orange can serve to remind us that we are all inextricably tied to home.

Chris Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, said: “Since its inception 100 years ago, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has been a one-of-a-kind program that encourages the passions, talents, and perspectives of millions of teens from across the nation. Every year, we at the Alliance are ceaselessly amazed and impressed with the creative output of our country’s teens, and this year is no exception. Today, we are making Awards history by welcoming our centennial class of national medalists, who will be celebrated for their creative prowess, candor, and ingenuity. They’re worthy successors to the visionary alumni of the program who came before them, while pointing the way toward the future of American creative life.”