Pen Women awards Launching Leaders winners

By Dana Kampa
| 10:05 a.m. April 21, 2026

The local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women Inc. awarded the 2026 winners of the Launching Leaders in the Arts program at an April 15 luncheon at the Prestancia Country Club.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

The National League of American Pen Women Inc. Sarasota Branch celebrated the winners of the 2026 Launching Leaders in the Arts scholarships at an April 15 luncheon, supporting the talents of high school seniors in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

President Wilma Davidson of Longboat Key said this year's students were exceptional.

The visual art awardees are: Hana Mullen (first), Angelika Beauvil (second), Coral Sheridan (third), and Lilliana McGrath and Cristal Saavedra (honorable mention).

The letters awardees are: Maxwell Lindskog (first), Megan Halperin (second), Nathan De Souza (third), and Mia Morales and Eden Hurley (honorable mention).

Evan Lian won first place in the music category.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.