Belin-Blank Center students recognized on the national stage

Friday, April 4, 2025

Chantal Eulenstein, from Ames High School — Chantal Eulenstein

Two Iowa high school students who recently participated in the Belin-Blank Center’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program have won gold. Chantal Eulenstein, from Ames High School, and Tanya Rastogi, from Pleasant Valley High School, were recently recognized as part of the program’s 102nd class of National Medalists.

Eulenstein and Rastogi both received National Gold Medals for their writing portfolios. To put this notable achievement into perspective, out of 7,400 portfolios that were judged at the national level, only eight received gold medals. Each award comes with a $12,500 scholarship.

Eulenstein was also awarded the inaugural Dorothea Tanning Portfolio Award, which is given to only one portfolio nationally, each year. This newly established award is presented to high school seniors for their outstanding portfolios in art or writing.

Tanya Rastogi, from Bettendorf High School — Tanya Rastogi

Presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program is the nation’s largest, longest-running, most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. The program honors the most exceptional talents across a variety of categories including, painting, flash fiction, photography, comic art, and other mediums. Esteemed alumni of the program include Stephen King, Truman Capote, Robert Redford, Andy Warhol, and more.

The Belin-Blank Center serves as the Iowa and Midwest Region-at-Large Affiliate for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program. As affiliate for these regions, the center accepts art and writing submissions, judges those submissions, holds an awards celebration recognizing regional winners, and provides summer programming for talented young artists and writers.

“Each year we are honored to celebrate the remarkable art and writing creations of talented high school students from Iowa and the Midwest regions,” says Mike Keller-Wilson, an administrator of student programs at the Belin-Blank Center. “This year, it is a particular joy to see Iowa so well represented among the national winners as a testament to the creative talent cultivated right here in our Iowa schools.”