YEREVAN, Armenia — On September 15, the American University of Armenia (AUA) hosted a celebratory event honoring the winners of the third annual Vahé and Lucie Creative Competition. Held in the Akian Art Gallery, the ceremony brought together students, faculty, staff, donors, and members of the wider AUA community to recognize outstanding student creativity and artistic achievement.
Organized by The Highlander, AUA’s student-run magazine, and generously funded by the Vahé and Lucie Foundation, the competition has grown into one of the University’s signature creative initiatives. First launched in 2024 as the Arshile Gorky Competition and expanded into a multi-category awards program in 2025, the initiative continues to provide students with both meaningful opportunities for artistic expression and scholarship support toward their education.
This year’s competition, themed “Childhood Memories,” invited students to reflect on the people, places, experiences, and traditions that shaped their early lives. Through storytelling, visual art, music, and multimedia, participants explored how childhood experiences continue to influence identity, imagination, and personal growth.
The 2026 competition marked a significant milestone with the introduction of two new categories — Poetry and Journalistic Feature (Multiplatform Storytelling) — bringing the total number of categories to seven. The competition also received its largest number of submissions to date, reflecting growing interest in creative expression across the AUA community.
AUA President Dr. Bruce Boghosian opened the event with welcoming remarks, highlighting the competition’s evolution and its role in fostering student creativity.
“Each year, as the available funding grows, so does the scope of the competition, with new categories giving students more opportunities to express their creativity,” he said. “The work you will see today is evidence that our students are using their time at AUA to think, imagine, and ask what kind of future they want to help build — and that they are doing so with originality and courage,” he added.
President Boghosian congratulated the winners on their accomplishments and thanked the Vahé and Lucie Foundation, AUA’s Office of Advancement, and the competition committee chaired by Professor Knar Khachatryan for making the initiative possible.
Entries were evaluated by a committee of AUA faculty members based on originality, engagement with the theme, and technical execution. The competition awarded first- and second-place prizes in each category, with scholarship awards of $3,500 and $2,500 respectively applied toward recipients’ tuition.
Following the opening remarks, winners had the opportunity to discuss their creative process with attendees. The program concluded with a live performance of the winning musical composition by Nrane Markosyan (BSESS ’28).
As in previous years, selected winning works are featured in The Highlander, providing students with an opportunity to share their creative achievements with a wider audience.
Best Video
1st Place: Maneh Manukyan (BSDS ’29)
2nd Place: Eteri Abrahamyan (BAEC ’29)
Best Photo
1st Place: Mariam Hakobyan (BAEC ’29)
2nd Place: Lusine Poghosyan (BSES ’28)
Best Music
1st Place: Nrane Markosyan (BSESS ’28)
2nd Place: Davit Davtyan (BAB ’27)
Best Poetry
1st Place: Sofya Vanyan (BAEC ’27)
2nd Place: Alex Chobanyan (BAEC ’27)
Best Fiction/Non-Fiction
1st Place: Anna Dashyan (BAEC ’29)
2nd Place: Anush Poghosyan (BAEC ’28)
2nd Place: Anton Ronis (BAPG ’27)
Best Journalistic Feature
1st Place: Susanna Hakobyan (BAEC ’28)
2nd Place: Erika Sargsyan (BAEC ’27)
Best Comic Strip
1st Place: Mariam Uzunyan (BAEC ’29)
2nd Place: Davit Shahikyan (BSESS ’28)
You can hear more about the winners and their work here.
AUA extends its sincere gratitude to the Vahé and Lucie Foundation for its continued commitment to supporting student creativity, artistic exploration, and educational opportunity. Through its continued growth and expanding range of disciplines, the Vahé and Lucie Creative Competition remains a testament to the power of creative expression and to AUA’s commitment to nurturing students both inside and outside the classroom.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
