The Woodlands Arts Council is proud to announce the 2026 Student Art Scholarship winners. Selected from a talented and competitive pool of high school seniors from across Montgomery County they represent excellence in sculpture, ceramics, painting, illustration and written work. The jury was impressed with the confidence shown by all applicants and they wish every student success in their future endeavors!

The 4th Annual Student Art Anthology will display awarded students work and be for sale at The 21st Annual The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival!
For questions please email: claire@thewoodlandsartscouncil.org

Best In Show, $5,000
Avery Bennett, The Woodlands High School
Ana Henners-Grainger, The John Cooper School
Madeline Rice, The Woodlands College Park High School
Iris Shen, The Woodlands College Park High School

Awards of Excellence, $2,500
Ashley Castille, The Woodlands High School
Amelia Loftis, Home School
Alison Mitton, The John Cooper School
Andrea Shi, The Woodlands College Park High School
Elva Yu, The Woodlands High School

Because Art Matters, $2,500
Sophia Wardsworth, The Woodlands High School

The Susan Literary Arts Scholarship, $1,800

Jordan Sheirr, The John Cooper School

Honorable Mention, $1,000

Aidan Gerungan, The Woodlands High School
Sophia Moser, The Woodlands High School
Leah Swart, The Woodlands High School

Available for local pick up only during TWAC office hours.

Proceeds from the sales of the Anthology go directly to the Student Art Scholarship program.

Thank you for making art matter!

"The Susan", an $1,800 scholarship, will be awarded to an applicant that exhibits extraordinary skill in the literary arts every year.

"The Susan" was named & established in honor of Susan Vreeland-Wendt for her incredible years of service as a volunteer, board member and art lover at The Woodlands Arts Council.

Susan Vreeland-Wendt is a marketing professional who is passionate about the arts and has shared her time and talents with The Woodlands Arts Council since its inception 19 years ago. She started out by volunteering for The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival as a representative of The Woodlands Development Company (TWDC), one of the founding partners of the Arts Council, and retired from the Executive Board in 2023, she continues to participate in the organization as an Art Lover, steadfast volunteer and committee member.

Susan worked in marketing and public relations for TWDC for 35 years, and saw many outstanding developments and initiatives come to fruition during that exciting time. Among them was the legacy of connecting the community through the arts, which was one of the founding principles of George and Cynthia Mitchell, founders of The Woodlands. That vision lives on in The Woodlands Arts Council and its good works.

During her tenure at TWDC, Susan had the opportunity to volunteer her time with many outstanding non-profits in addition to The Woodlands Arts Council. Among them are Interfaith of The Woodlands, Montgomery County United Way, Montgomery County Community Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and New Danville. She was honored as a 2013 Hometown Hero for her volunteerism.

Susan and her husband, Jim Wendt, live in The Woodlands with their family.

list of 2025 winners:

20 Years of Making Art Matter Scholarship- $20,000

Matthew Yu - The Woodlands College Park High School

Best of show- $5,000

Brennan Bynum - The Woodlands High School
Mariana Gonzalez - The Woodlands High School
Adelaide Dieden - The Woodlands College Park High School
River Aguilar - The Woodlands High School

Awards of Excellence- $2,500

Aiden Fritsche - The Woodlands High School
Fernanda Arcos Alfaro*- The Woodlands High School
Kathleen Anderson - The Woodlands College Park High School
Rune Day - The Woodlands Christian Academy
Atih Ninvoraskul - The John Cooper School

Because Art Matters scholarship- $2,500

Hannah Righi - The Woodlands College Park High School

The Susan Literary Arts Scholarship- $1,800

Fernanda Arcos Alfaro*- The Woodlands High School

Honorable mention- $1,000

Marilyn Arcos - Caney Creek High School
Gwendolyn Butler - The Woodlands College Park High School
Jewel Wagenschutz - Caney Creek High School

Best of show- $5,000

Julia Ferguson- The Woodlands High School
Rubi Alvarez- Caney Creek High School
Saami Baig- The John Cooper School
Alena Gurevich- The John Cooper School
Iris Emmanuel- The Woodlands High School

Awards of Excellence- $2,500

Allyson Lane- Lake Creek High School
Mariah Vance- The Woodlands High School
Ella Bradley- Lake Creek High School
Morgan Allen- The Woodlands High School
Aiana Bualat- The Woodlands College Park High School
Jake Pinkerton- The Woodlands High School

The Intersection of Art & Technology Scholarship Award powered by Entergy- $2,500

Bethany Elliott- The Woodlands College Park High School

Because Art Matters scholarship- $2,500

Tabatha Sanchez- Lake Creek High School

The Susan- $1,800

Tim Lu- The John Cooper School

Honorable mention- $1,000

Esai Diaz-Acevedo- The Woodlands High School
Katelyn Eveland- The John Cooper School
Hannah Nieuwveld- The John Cooper School

list of the 2023 winners:

Honorable Mention $1,000 Scholarship:

Nishka Patel “Breathe”- The Woodlands College Park High School*

Steve McKoy “GRANT REQUEST”-The Woodlands College Park High School*

Tya Gonsalves “Bored Games”- The John Cooper School

Bailee Jackson “Cold Turkey”- The Woodlands College Park High School

Nancy Hernandez “Keep on Watching”- Caney Creek High School

Amanda Montes “The Pattern of Life”- Magnolia High School

Cameron Glowacki “Portrait in an Unseasonal Sweater”- The Woodlands College Park High School

*Literary Arts Awardees

list of the 2022 winners:

Honorable Mention $1,000 Scholarship :

Jennifer Berg "My Friend, Victoria" - Oak Ridge High School
Adriana Gonzalez "Lifeless" - Caney Creek High School
Jenna Evans "48 Layers" - Caney Creek High School
Chloe Beck "Gentle Strength" - The John Cooper School
Jasmin Barrera "Bittersweet Release" - Caney Creek High School