Botetourt County student wins prestigious art award

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – A Botetourt County high school student is making history with her artwork.

Natalie Emerson, a sophomore at Lord Botetourt High School, just won the rare 2018  "Dual National Medalist" honor by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the ceramics and glass category. 

Her work titled "Leaf it to the Light" was awarded the National Gold and the American Visions medals. 

Emerson says her art teacher Ingrid Chase helped submit her project for the award. She says her art was partly inspired by her late grandfather.

"It's just so amazing to have won it, to know that I'm the first person to win the gold medal nationally in Botetourt and to have my name on that in the art world," said Natalie Emerson.

Only three students in Virginia have won both the Gold and American Visions medals since 2010.

Emerson's work will be on display at Parson's: The New School for Design in New York City. She will visit New York for the awards ceremony in June.