Penn Manor senior Piper Campbell has achieved national recognition in the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, earning both a national gold medal and the prestigious American Visions Medal for her photography.
Piper’s award-winning photograph, Renaissance, was recognized for its exceptional creativity, technical skill, and unique perspective. The work stood out among thousands of submissions and will be showcased in a national exhibition alongside other gold medal-winning pieces.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Previous award winners have included Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath and Truman Capote.
Less than 1 percent of all entries earn a national gold or silver award each year.
“When I found out I had won, I actually jumped up out of my seat and yelled to everyone in my math class – in the middle of them taking a test!” Piper said. “It was really exciting, and I was immediately so grateful.”
Piper also was honored with three Lancaster County Young Artists awards for her photography, which is on display with other students’ work, through April 27 at the Lancaster Museum of Art.
As a national Scholastic Award winner, Piper has been invited to attend the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she will be celebrated alongside the country’s most talented young artists and writers. The ceremony will be held June 11.
Piper said she’s “always been interested in photography, but never knew if it was something I could be good at and never had the opportunity to try” until taking classes at Penn Manor.
Her winning photograph – of classmate Savannah Ritter – was created for a portraiture assignment in Piper’s photography class. Savannah also is a skilled photographer who earned multiple Scholastic regional Gold Key awards.
After high school, Piper plans to attend Millersville University and study environmental sciences or psychology while continuing to pursue her passion for photography.
Congratulations to Piper and her Penn Manor High School photography teacher, Maggie Cantrell.
