Pittsburgh, PA  –  Wednesday, August 23, 2023  – 

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 100 young writers, visual artists, musicians, filmmakers and inventors in Allegheny County vied for honors in the Library’s 2023 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.

2023 Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest Winners
Open to high school students who live or attend school in Allegheny County (grades 9 – 12)

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. This year, 39 teens had their poetry and prose published in the anthology and each published teen will receive a copy.

Judging the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest were illustrator, printmaker and storyteller Elizabeth Agyemang and Rho Bloom-Wang, 2022-2023 Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County.

Prose judge, Elizabeth Agyemang
Elizabeth Agyemang is the author and illustrator of Fibbed, a middle grade graphic novel published by Razorbill, and Heart-Shaped Lies, a young adult novel coming from Delacorte. She writes about magic, history, folklore, love, and fairy tales, and draws from elements of her Ghanaian heritage and faith.

Poetry judge, Rho Bloom-Wang
Rho Bloom-Wang serves as the 2022-2023 Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County and Editor-In-Chief of Plaid Literary & Arts Magazine. They are passionate about creative expression as a means of pursuing both individual growth and social and environmental justice. Rho is a winner of the Oakland Sidewalk Poetry Contest, and has been nationally recognized by YoungArts and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

 

Prose 

1^st place: “Hold On Tight” by Sofia Mancing, The Ellis School, Grade 12
2^nd Place: “Memories” by Annabel Gujski, North Hills Senior High School, Grade 11

Poetry

1^st place: “Infestation’s Hope” by Natalie Augustine, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10
2^nd place: “Home” by Ashnavi Ghosh, North Allegheny Intermediate School, Grade 10

2023 Labsy Award Winners
Open to all students who live or attend school in Allegheny County grades 6 – 12.

A panel of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh staff judged this year’s Labsy Awards. All winners and honorable mentions will be showcased on CLP’s social media.

 

Ralph Munn Cover Art Design for 2024 Anthology

“Bloom” by Nera Akiva, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 9

 

Short Film

1^st place: “College Bound” by Thomas Wang & Kiran Tevar, Shady Side Academy, Grade 9
2^nd place: “Two Stems” by Alex Riccobon, PA Virtual Charter School, Grade 12

Honorable Mention:

• EJ Warman, The Ellis School, Grade 12
• Luca Assandri, Central Catholic High School, Grade 12
• Lamar Abushaban, Pittsburgh SciTech, Grade 10
• Joseph Spak, Pittsburgh SciTech, Grade 8

 

Music 

1^st place: “Outsider’s View” by Everest Gray, Quaker Valley High School, Grade 11
2^nd place: “In My Room” by Nina Cranor, Pittsburgh SciTech, Grade 11

Honorable Mention:

• Rocco Tobul, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10
• Harper Lola Bee Castner-Finlay, North Allegheny, Grade 6
• Basil Wedig, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 10
• Rocco Tobul, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10

 

Photography

1^st place: “Justice Burns” by Brodie Bard, Pittsburgh SciTech, Grade 11
2^nd Place: “Apricity” by Julie Cibula, North Allegheny High School, Grade 10

Honorable Mention:

• Brendan Harris, Baldwin Senior High School, Grade 12Askshay Lath, Fox Chapel Area High School, Grade 10
• Brendan Harris, Baldwin Senior High School, Grade 12
• Rohan Khera, Shady Side Academy, Grade 10
• Thomas Wang, Shady Side Academy, Grade 10
• Brodie Bard, Pittsburgh SciTech, Grade 11

3D Art

1^st place: “[memories]” by Natalie Shaffer, Deer Lakes High School, Grade 10
2^nd place: “Overextending” by Brynn Campbell, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 11

Honorable Mention:

• Julai Germany, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10
• Nina Cranor, Pittsburgh SciTech, Grade 11
• Jane Windsheimer, Chartiers Valley High School, Grade 12
• Jason Garland Jr., Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 12
• Alexis Mottey and Adianna Mcgraw, Schiller School and South Hills Middle School, Grade 8
• Madeleine Ng, Oakland Catholic High School, Grade 11

 

2D Art

1st place: “Tangled” by Naomi Davis, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10
2^nd place: “Just Let Me Live” by Alice Bussler, Winchester Thurston, Grade 9

Honorable Mention:

• Sarah Zhao, North Allegheny, Grade 11
• Brynn Campbell, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 11
• Julai Germany, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10
• Kaitlyn Spanos, Baldwin Senior High School, Grade 12
• Basil Wedig, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Grade 10
• Nera Akiva, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Grade 9
• Asata Brown, Winchester Thurston, Grade 11
• Leila Barber, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 8
• Siheng Chao, Fox Chapel Area High School, Grade 12
• Naomi Davis, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10

 

Fashion

1^st place: “Stages of a Firework” by Alex Riccobon, PA Virtual Charter School, Grade 12
2^nd Place: “A Writer’s Journey” by Madeleine Ng, Oakland Catholic High School, Grade 11

Honorable Mention:

• Cavin Lee, Winchester Thurston, Grade 12
• Ellie Choi, Pittsburgh CAPA, Grade 10
• Charlotte Burnette, Quaker Valley Middle School, Grade 6
• Adrian Wos, Riverview Jr Sr High School, Grade 11
• Cavin Lee, Winchester Thurston, Grade 12

###