The National YoungArts Foundation has announced the names of at least 14 Indian American talented high schoolers among the 750-plus nation’s most promising young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts.

The 2018 YoungArts winners are all in the age group of 15 -18 or are in grades 10 to 12.

Indian American talents who have been recognized in the 2018 YoungArts competition include Arushi Avachat (merit, writing/selection from novel); Sudeep Bhargava (finalist, photography); Uma Chatterjee (merit, photography); Varun Das (honorable mention, jazz/percussion); Vedika Dayal (honorable mention, writing/creative non-fiction); Manushri Desai (honorable mention, writing/spoken word); Rekha Iyer (honorable mention, dance/classical Indian); Madhavi Mani, (honorable mention, dance/classical Indian); Ria Modak (merit, classical music/guitar); Nicholas Padmanabhan (honorable mention, classical music/guitar); Shruti Parthasarathy (finalist, dance/classical Indian); Nivedita Ravi (merit, voice/soprano); Aditya Udupa, (honorable mention, jazz/keyboard); and Akhilesh Vadari, (finalist, dance/classical Indian).

Selected from the most competitive pool of applications and representing artists from 47 states, YoungArts winners gain access to one of the most comprehensive programs for emerging artists in the U.S., offering financial, professional and artistic development opportunities over the course of their careers.

The 2018 winners will receive cash prizes of up to $10,000; opportunities to share their work with the public at renowned institutions such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Sotheby’s in New York, and New World Center in Miami. They will also gain access to mentors, including Academy Award-winning director, producer, editor, writer and cinematographer Doug Blush; award-winning photographer Corinne May Botz; three-time New York Dance and Performance awardee Nora Chipaumire; Grammy-award winning vocalist and songwriter Lisa Fischer, and best-selling authors Michael Grunwald and Kristen Simmons, among others.

Selected through a blind adjudication process conducted by an independent panel of highly accomplished artists, the 2018 winners, according to a press release, represent the top 10 percent of applications.

This year’s finalists have the opportunity to participate in the 37th annual National YoungArts Week in Miami from Jan. 7 to 14, 2018. All winners will become part of a professional network of over 20,000 alumni artists and are eligible to participate in YoungArts’ regional programs, including YoungArts Miami, YoungArts Los Angeles, and YoungArts New York.

Finalists, added the press release, are also eligible for nomination to the White House-appointed Commission on Presidential Scholars.

For more information, visit youngarts.org.

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