Pittsburgh, PA  –  Wednesday, August 26, 2020  – 

Through Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Teen Media Awards teen creators have invited us to examine what we think we know. They invite us to reflect on beauty, to dwell in complexity, and to celebrate joy where we find it.

More than 200 young writers, visual artists, musicians, filmographers and inventors in Allegheny County vied for honors in the Library’s 20202 Teen Media Awards. The Awards, which serve as a platform for celebrating teens and their original content are divided into two parts – The Ralph Munn Creative Writing Awards and the Labsy Awards — and recognize a broad range of creative work.

First place winners in each category received $250 and second place winners received $100.

2020 Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest Winners
Open to high school students in Allegheny County (grades 9 – 12)

Judging the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest were Jari Bradley, a black genderqueer poet and scholar from San Francisco, California, and Jewell Parker Rhodes, the Piper Endowed Chair and founding artistic director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University.

All “entries of quality” are published in an anthology, which is distributed to all of the public libraries in Allegheny County, as well as to the schools whose students are published in the book. Each published teen also receives an anthology.

Prose

1st place: “Hip Hop Science” by Ariella Riccobon, Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School, Grade 9

2nd place: “Butterflies” by Mia Naccarato, North Allegheny Senior High School, Grade 11

Prose Honorable Mentions (published in anthology)

Khailil Tookas, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 12

Riley Kirk, Gateway Senior High School, Grade 9

Marie Roa, Pittsburgh Obama, Grade 9

Natalie Cohen, Commonwealth Charter Academy, Grade 11

Rebecca Gerse, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 9

Roan Hollander, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10

Spencer Greenberg, North Allegheny Senior High School, Grade 12

Poetry

1st place: “All Unknown” by Aliya Pimental, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 12

2nd place: “Red Yellow Green” by Jayla Andrews, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 12

Poetry Honorable Mentions (published in anthology)

Ava Weidensall, Baldwin High School, Grade 9

Carter Krummel, Hillcrest Christian Academy, Grade 12

Charles Forster, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 12

Eliyah Roberts, Shady Side Academy, Grade 12

Gemma DeMeo, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 12

Jade Chatman, Pittsburgh Obama, Grade 11

Jo Pastorius, Pittsburgh Carrick, Grade 10

Madalynn Hill, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 9

Maggie Morvay, Carlynton Jr./Sr. High School, Grade 11

Maxwell Kimbrough, Central Catholic High School, Grade 9

Phoenix Thomas, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 9

Seth Parente, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 10

Shana Reddy, Upper Saint Clair High School, Grade 10

Worood Alobedi, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 9

2020 Labsy Award Winners
Open to Allegheny County students in grades 6 – 12.

A panel of 33 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh staff and Learn & Earn teen employees judged this year’s Labsy Awards.

Filmmaking

1st place: “Smash Virus” by Oday Abushaban, Pittsburgh Sci-Tech, Grade 11

2nd place: “Tuned Out” by Ariel Cameroe, South Fayette High School, Grade 12

Music

1st place: “Cool” by Sloane Simon, Fox Chapel Area High School, Grade 9

2nd place: “Rain” by Hallie Sufrin, Winchester Thurston High School, Grade 9

Honorable Mentions

• Maleena Dominick, Moon High School, Grade 12
• Everest Gray, Quaker Valley High School, Grade 9
• Naftali MacIsaac, Upper St. Clair High School, Grade 10
• Maddox Cannon and Hunter Hoose, Quaker Valley High School, Grade 11

Ralph Munn Cover Art Design

1st place:  “Captured” by Gianna DiGiacomo, Keystone Oaks High School, Grade 10

2nd place: Untitled by Amara Bailey, Nazareth Prep, Grade 12

Invention

1st place: “Attaché Adagio“ by Graciela Leon, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 9

2nd place: “Fruit Craze” by Lamar Abushaban, Pittsburgh Sci-Tech, Grade 7

Photography

1st place: “Overcast” by Delia Brown, Falk Laboratory School, Grade 7

2nd place: “Girl in the Snow” by Qingqing Zhao, Shadyside Academy, Grade 11

Honorable Mentions

• Anker Zhao, Shadyside Academy, Grade 10
• Lucia King, CAPA, Grade 10
• Qingqing Zhao, Shadyside Academy, Grade 11
• Anna Cappella, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 11

3D Art

1st place: “The Anteater and the Butterfly” by Ariella Riccobon, PA Virtual Charter School, Grade 9

2nd place: “Butterfly in Copper” by Lilly Zeminski, Bethel Park High School, Grade 12

Honorable Mentions

• Savannah Lewis, Nazareth Prep, Grade 10
• Alena Riccobon, PA Virtual Charter School, Grade 7 
• Elizabeth Snyder, Thomas Jefferson High School, Grade 11
• Tashari Morgan, Shadyside Academy, Grade 9

 

2D Art

1st place: “Fed Up” by Anzu Sekikawa, Fox Chapel Area High School, Grade 12

 

2nd place: “Overzealous” by Alexa Berman, Fox Chapel Area High School, Grade 11

Honorable Mentions

• Aristotle Martinez, Three Rivers Village School, Grade 11
• Claire Chen, Upper St. Clair High School, Grade 12
• Mica Siegler, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 11
• Gianna DiGiacomo, Keystone Oaks High School, Grade 10
• Anna Cappella, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 11
• Emily Jeong, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 11
• Xavier Ruffin, Nazareth Prep, Grade 10
• Isabella Nissel, Hampton High School, Grade 12
• Lily Weatherford-Brown, Pittsburgh CAPA
• Alexa Berman, Fox Chapel Area High School, Grade 12
• Asha Segall, Upper St. Clair High School, Grade 9
• Asha Segall, Upper St. Clair High School, Grade 9
• Anzu Sekikawa – Agony; 12^th Grade, Fox Chapel Area High School
• Ella Newhouse – Tranquility; 10^th Grade, South Fayette High School
• Elizabeth Skrinjar – Pappy; 9^th Grade, St. Joseph High School
• Zev Haworth – Portrait of Marsha P Johnson; 12^th Grade, Pittsburgh Allderdice
• Alyissa Farmer – Darkened Nights and Violin Strings; 12^th Grade, Pittsburgh CAPA
• Erin Egan – Unsung Hero, Ella Baker; 12^th Grade, Bishop Canevin
• Dalisay Quemado Pandemic Emotions; 7^th Grade, Dorseyville Middle School
• Aristotle Martinez – Girl in Blue; 11^th Grade, Three Rivers Village School

 

Fashion

1st place: “Against the Algorithm” by Amital Leibovich, Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, Grade 12

2nd place: “Salem Sprout” by Ava Wos, Serra Catholic High School, Grade 9

Honorable Mentions

• Amital Leibovich, Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, Grade 12
• Alena Riccobon, PA Virtual Charter School, Grade 7
• Isabella Nissel, Hampton High School, Grade 12

 

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