YoungArts Names 2022 Winners, Featuring Plethora of Young Indian American Talented Artists

Tiara Abraham, one of the Indian American YoungArts winners, seen after her performance at the UC Davis Junior Recital in May 2021. (photo provided)

India-West Staff Reporter

The YoungArts National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists recently announced its 2022 Finalists, Merit and Honorable Mention winners, featuring a plethora of young Indian Americans.

Founded in 1981, YoungArts provides award winners with a lifetime of creative and professional development opportunities as they pursue a career in the arts, said a press release.

Finalists in their senior year are further eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts—one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students, it noted.

All award winners—including Finalist, Merit and Honorable Mention award levels—receive mentorship and financial awards; gain access to a lifetime of creative, professional development and funding opportunities; and become part of an uplifting, inter-generational community that helps artists connect, create and collaborate.

YoungArts winners, who are chosen for their caliber of artistic achievement, receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000. In addition to monetary awards, all winners receive a medallion, a lifetime of creative and professional support, and access to YoungArts Post—a private, online portal for YoungArts artists to connect, share their work and discover new opportunities

Following are the Finalists listed by category:

Classical Music:

Vibha Janakiraman | Violin PA Leadership Charter School (University Scholars Program) | West Chester, PA

Maanas Varma | Viola Flower Mound High School | Flower Mound, TX

Dance:

Malavika Singh | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian West High School | Salt Lake City, UT

Reva Srivastava | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian Mission San Jose High School | Fremont, CA

Theater:

Kashvi Ramani |Rock Ridge High School | Ashburn, VA

Anu Sahar Baltimore School of the Arts | Baltimore, MD

Voice:

Shikta Mukherjee | Classical John P. Stevens High School | Edison, NJ

Sunidhi Srinivas | Popular (Pop) Spring-Ford High School | Royersford, PA

Honorable Mention winners are:

Classical Music:

Sameer Agrawal | Violin Northside College Prep | Chicago, IL

Keshav Srinivasan | Violin Liberal Arts and Science Academy | Austin, TX

Dance:

Neha Asuri | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology | Alexandria, VA

Janaki Nair | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian Solon High School | Solon, OH

Prarthana Prashanth | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian UIC College Prep High School | Aurora, IL

Akhila Rajesh | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian Westwood High School | Austin, TX

Aditi Ram | World Dance Forms: Classical Indian Vernon Hills High School | Vernon Hills, IL

Voice:

Tiara Abraham | Classical Cedar Life Academy | Concord, CA

Sanjana Khurana | Popular (Pop) Sage Hill School | Newport Coast, CA

Writing:

Divyasri Krishnan | Poetry Acton-Boxborough Regional High School | Acton, MA

Uma Menon | Creative Nonfiction Winter Park High School | Winter Park, FL

Uma Menon | Short Story Winter Park High School | Winter Park, FL

Deeya Prakash | Creative Nonfiction Sycamore High School | Cincinnati, OH.