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 2025! Now celebrating its 29th year, 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 455 student submissions, representing 67 participating high schools across Long Island. Consulting Curator Meredith A. Brown and guest juror Beth Atkinson selected 77 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, April 5. 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 April 5 events on the Museum’s Facebook page
Top Four Awards:
Hang Mi, Manhasset High School – First Place, Celebrate Achievement Best in Show
Xaria Talavera, Hicksville High School – Second Place, Judith Sposato Memorial Prize
Sadie Koo, Long Island High School for the Arts – Third Place, The Hadley Prize
Caitlyn Gordon, Valley Stream South High School – Fourth Place, The Stan Brodsky Scholarship Award
Achievement Awards:
Estiven Segovia Ticas, Huntington High School – Achievement Award in Digital Art
Gemma Sackett & Ruby Sparling, Smithtown Christian School – Achievement Award in Sculpture
Jimmy Liang, Jericho Senior High School – Achievement Award in Drawing
Maia Schnaider, Half Hollow Hills High School West – Achievement Award in Colored Pencil
Honorable Mentions:
Sismay Granados, Central Islip High School
Benjamin Krieger, Patchogue Medford High School
Joseph Lee, Hicksville High School
Alfonso Castillo, Valley Stream Central High School
Renzo & Lynette Bianchi Scholarship Awards:
Alexander Benfield, East Meadow High School
Alana Cornacchiulo, Bellport High School
Stephanie Godfrey, Smithtown High School West
Adam Himelfarb, Northport High School
Janice Lee, Long Island High School for the Arts
Luis Moreno, Massapequa High School
Xihao Wang, The Stony Brook School
Adelphi University “For the Love of Art” Awards”
Estefany Argueta, Farmingdale High School – Graphic Design
Alfonso Castillo, Valley Stream Central High School – Art Foundations
Andrew Presberg Promising Young Artist Award:
Jiwon Choi, The Stony Brook School
Stepping Stone Award:
Xavier Tian, Syosset High School
Cozza Family Award:
Selene Brown, Bay Shore High School
Lisa Hock Memorial Award:
Neha Tuladhar, Hicksville High School
Donald & Gloria Horn Scholarship Award:
Amelia Townsend, Uniondale High School
Donald G. Horn, Jr. Scholarship Award:
Haley Jones, Bayport Blue Point High School
PRESENTING SPONSOR
The Darrell Fund Endowment/Henriette Darrell
ARTISTIC SPONSOR
The Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.
PATRON SPONSOR
Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE SPONSORS
Inna Gellerman, DDS, Gellerman Orthodontics
Callaghan LLP
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
Caitlin Suarez
Stepping Stone 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. ASL, Braille, and Spanish language translation made possible by a generous grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
