A Lakeville South Grad Just Won a National Gold Medal for Her Art
TLDR
Alice Yi, a 2026 Lakeville South grad, won a national Gold Medal at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
She won it for a charcoal drawing called "DRINK ME."
Winners got honored at Carnegie Hall in New York City — with a keynote from actor John Leguizamo.
Only about 600 teens in the whole country made it to that stage. Alice was one of them.
It's her third national medal in three years.
Here's a good one. A Lakeville kid just landed on one of the biggest stages in the country for young artists — and she brought home gold.
Alice Yi, who graduated from Lakeville South this spring, won a national Gold Medal at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her charcoal drawing "DRINK ME." If you've never heard of these awards, they're kind of a big deal — the longest-running program of their kind in the country, running since 1923. Past winners include names like Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, and Amanda Gorman. So yeah, good company.
What she actually won
Let's put this in perspective, because the numbers are wild. This year more than 110,000 teens entered over 335,000 pieces of art and writing. Only about 2,500 of those works earned a national medal — that's the top sliver of everything submitted. And only the Gold Medal winners got invited to the big national ceremony.
That ceremony happened June 10 at Carnegie Hall — the famous concert hall in New York City. Close to 600 teen medalists from across the country showed up, and the keynote came from actor and comedian John Leguizamo. Alice's drawing was also picked for the national exhibition shown at Scholastic's headquarters.
Here's how a piece even gets there. Everything starts at the regional level, where the best work earns a "Gold Key." Only the top 5% get one, and a Gold Key is what bumps your work up to national judging. This year Alice earned six Gold Keys — including two for full senior art portfolios — plus an American Visions nomination for "DRINK ME," an honor that went to only five artworks in all of Minnesota.
Not her first rodeo
This wasn't a one-time thing, either. Alice's gold for "DRINK ME" is her third national medal in a row — she took gold in 2024 and silver in 2025. That kind of streak is rare.
According to Sun ThisWeek, she's also been a fixture in the local art scene for years — showing work around town at spots like the Lakeville Art Crawl, Heritage Library, and Fairview Ridges Hospital, and selling through her own business, Alice Yi Fine Art. The same report says she's competed in the Minnesota State Fair's K-12 art competition for nearly a decade, picking up a stack of first-place ribbons and two grand prizes — one of them for "DRINK ME" back in 2025. She's also volunteered around the community, including face painting at local events.
The Bottom Line
This is exactly the kind of thing worth bragging about as a community. A Lakeville teenager went up against hundreds of thousands of works nationwide and came home with gold — while already running her own art business before she's even started college. South Metro students have quietly been racking up national recognition lately, and Alice just added a big one to the pile for the local arts scene. If you spot "DRINK ME" or her work around town, now you know the story behind it.
(Credit where due: Alice's win was first reported locally by Sun ThisWeek.)
FAQ
What did she win, exactly?
A national Gold Medal from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for a charcoal drawing called "DRINK ME." It's the top level of the competition.
Is this a well-known award?
Very. It's been running since 1923, and its alumni include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, and Amanda Gorman. National winners get honored at Carnegie Hall.
How hard is it to win one?
Really hard. Over 335,000 works were entered this year, and only about 2,500 earned a national medal. Only Gold Medal winners were invited to the ceremony.
What school is she from?
Lakeville South High School — she graduated in 2026.
Has she won before?
Yes. This is her third national medal in three years, after a gold in 2024 and a silver in 2025.
