The Museum would like to congratulate all of the exhibiting artists and award winners for Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at the Heckscher Museum 2026! Now celebrating its 30th annniversary, Long Island’s Best is the only juried exhibition for Long Island high school students that provides the opportunity to exhibit in a museum. Students are encouraged to think outside the box as they work in a broad range of media, styles, and subjects.
This year there were 402 student submissions, representing 63 participating high schools across Long Island. Consulting Curator Meredith A. Brown and guest juror Aaron Feltman selected 84 works of art for inclusion in the exhibition as well as numerous award winners. The Museum congratulates all of this year’s exhibiting young artists for their remarkable achievements!
Exhibiting artists, friends, family, teachers, and Museum Members and Donors were invited to view the exhibition during an exclusive Long Island’s Best Preview Day on Saturday, March 28. There was an amazing turn out throughout the day! Award-winning students then attended a ceremony that evening. A wonderful time was had by all celebrating these amazing young artists! Congratulations once again to all of the exhibiting students!
See all student artwork, read artist statements written by the exhibiting artists, and more
View more photos from the March 28 events on the Museum’s Facebook page
Top Four Awards:
Maria Gavrilov, Ward Melville High School – First Place, Celebrate Achievement Best in Show
Sophia Phan, Manhasset High School – Second Place, Judith Sposato Memorial Prize
Angelina Yan, Manhasset High School – Third Place, The Hadley Prize
Lyla Pinto, Long Beach High School – Fourth Place, The Stan Brodsky Scholarship Award
Achievement Awards:
Veronica Pelis, Half Hollow Hills High School West – Achievement Award in Mixed Media
Carolina Ramos Saravia, Huntington High School – Achievement Award in Social Critique
Alyssa Squicciarini, General Douglas MacArthur High School – Achievement Award in Colored Pencil
Elaine Xia, Syosset High School – Achievement Award in Drawing
Honorable Mentions:
Halyn Kwon, Hicksville High School
Kenji La, Manhasset High School
Jillian Lyons, Half Hollow Hills High School East
Vivia Shao, Shoreham-Wading River High School
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Awards:
Jeffrey Cruz, Walt Whitman High School
Jiselle Hale, Amityville Memorial High School
Jay Hoff Isabell, Huntington High School
Thomas Huhn, Sayville High School
Jacob Ihne, Sachem High School East
Reily So, Manhasset High School
Tiffany Yam, John F. Kennedy High School
Adelphi University “For the Love of Art” Awards”
Sophia Carnesi, East Rockaway High School – Graphic Design
Elaine Xia, Syosset High School – Drawing Foundations
Andrew Presberg Promising Young Artist Award:
Joseph Abbate, Bayport-Blue Point High School
Cozza Family Award:
Jillian Portuese, Shoreham-Wading River High School
Donald & Gloria Horn Scholarship Award:
Meira Cohen, Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls
Donald G. Horn, Jr. Scholarship Award:
Dillon Ng, Herricks High School
PRESENTING SPONSOR
The Darrell Fund Endowment/Henriette Darrell
ARTISTIC SPONSORS
The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation
Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.
Pritchard Charitable Trust
PATRON SPONSORS
Callaghan LLP
Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation
Prizes and Awards Generously Provided by:
Donors to the 2017 Celebrate Achievement Benefit
Celebrate Achievement Best In Show
Frank J. Sposato, Jeffrey Sposato, and Peter F. Cohen
Second Place, Judith Sposato Memorial Prize
Robin T. Hadley
Third Place, The Hadley Prize
Jeanne Hewitt
Fourth Place, The Stan Brodsky Scholarship Award
Christopher Renzo Bianchi and the Bianchi Family
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Awards
Adelphi University
For The Love of Art Awards
Christine Machtay
Donald and Gloria Horn Scholarship Award and Donald G. Horn, Jr. Scholarship Award
Cozza Family
The Cozza Family Award
The Law Offices of Andrew Presberg
Andrew Presberg Promising Young Artist Award
The Heckscher Museum of Art is grateful to The Town of Huntington and the Town of Huntington Board of Trustees and Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning for their generous support of the arts.