2026 Young Artist Award Winners Announced

The City of Gaithersburg announces the winners of the 2026 Young Artist Award Competition. Administered by the City of Gaithersburg and supported by the Kentlands Community Foundation, the Young Artist Award Competition is a juried event that provides talented musicians ages 12 to 18 with an enriching artistic experience. Through a rigorous selection process, top prize winners were chosen in various categories and will perform in the Winners' Recital on Friday, January 30 at the Arts Barn at 7:30 p.m. Purchase tickets here.

The 2026 Young Artist Award winners are:

Grand Prize Winner                     Julian Chen (Piano)

Piano

First Place                                        Julian Chen

Second Place                                   Derek Yang

Third Place                                       Andrew Lin

Honorable Mention                       Hannah Tang

Voice

First Place                                        Greta-Lee Dobie              

Second Place                                   Vianca Aliah M. Regachuelo

Third Place                                       Olivia Cho

Honorable Mention                       Reva Tucker

Honorable Mention                       Jadon Cho

Brass/Woodwinds

First Place                                       Joyce Liu             

Second Place                                   Lucas Cho                          

Third Place                                       Hossein Islam    

Strings

First Place                                       Sofia Parra                       

Second Place                                  Yuto Shimomura                            

Third Place                                      Kanami Shimomura         

Honorable Mention                       Benjamin Whiting-Eisemann

Honorable Mention                       Sophia Lee

The Young Artist Award Competition is funded in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). To discover more about MSAC grants & how they impact Maryland's arts sector, visit msac.org.

For more information, email yaa@gaithersburgmd.gov or call 301-258-6394.