Congratulations to Madeleine Case ’22 on receiving a 2022 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Finalist Award in the Writing category for her script Hardcore. Chosen from a pool of approximately 8,000 applicants, Madeleine is among 157 finalists in 10 disciplines, who the YoungArts Foundation considers to be the most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists from across the country.

Just five scripts were chosen to be finalists in the Play/Script category by YoungArts’ discipline-specific panel of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process. YoungArts award winners gain access to one of the most comprehensive programs for artists in the United States in which they will have opportunities for financial, creative, and professional development support throughout their entire careers.

Madeleine said, “I am very honored to be recognized by YoungArts, and I am so grateful for the time and effort Ms. Monica Hoenig and Ms. Catherine Dunn put into helping me create something that I am deeply proud of and means so much to me.”

YoungArts awards are given in three categories: Finalist, Honorable Mention, and Merit. This year, YoungArts award winners at all levels will receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000 and the opportunity to learn from leading artists such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Frank Gehry, Wynton Marsalis, and Salman Rushdie. YoungArts award winners become eligible for exclusive creative and professional development support including a wide range of fellowships, residencies, and awards; virtual and in-person presentation opportunities in collaboration with major venues nationwide; additional financial support; and access to YoungArts Post, a free, private digital network for YoungArts artists to connect, collaborate, and learn about additional opportunities. Past winners include Viola Davis, Nicki Minaj, Kerry Washington, Billy Porter, Timothée Chalamet, and Hunter Schafer.
 

Catherine Dunn, Chair of the Film Department and Upper School English teacher, praised Madeleine as a screenwriter:

“Writing a good short film script is not easy. You don’t have time to flesh out characters or situations, and everything should race to one, big climatic moment. Madeleine’s script Hardcore is successful, in part, because the ending is both so unexpected and so emotional. And, even better, she pushes the reader to reexamine how we got there as well. Hardcore’s complexity and depth is truly masterful.”

As a YoungArts Finalist, Madeleine will participate in National YoungArts Week+ in January 2022 featuring virtual classes, workshops, and mentorship from leading artists in their fields as well as virtual performances and an exhibition for the public.

Madeleine also is eligible to be nominated to become a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the highest honors given high school seniors bestowed by the President of the United States. As the sole nominating agency, every year YoungArts nominates 60 artists to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. The Commission then selects the 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.