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Lantos Foundation Announces 2026 Activist Artist Scholarship Winners
$15,000 in Scholarships Awarded to Eight New Hampshire High School Seniors
CONCORD, NH (May 9, 2025) — The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice today announced the winners of its annual Activist Artist Scholarship competition, now in its sixth year, which encourages students to explore the impact of art on the global human rights movement. The two first-place awards went to Candace Wyman of Timberlane Regional High School and Brogan Schroyer of Bishop Brady High School. Scholarships were also awarded to six runners-up, with a total of $15,000 awarded in scholarship funds.
As in previous years, the 2026 competition offered applicants the chance to submit to two distinct categories: In the original art category, applicants have the option to submit their own original piece of activist art, along with a “museum plaque” describing their work; the essay category challenges applicants to examine the influence of a particular “Activist Artist” and show how that artist used their medium to inform and inspire during their lifetime or beyond.
This year’s submissions focused on a range of global human rights issues, with many specifically highlighting the dire situation for women’s rights in Iran and Afghanistan. The essay submissions explored a variety of activist artists from different eras and in different media, from street art to comics, while the original artwork spanned digital illustrations, poetry, paintings, and sound art.
The judges awarded Wyman first place in the original art category for her digital artwork titled “I Miss the Clouds,” which depicts an Afghan woman in an arresting “split screen” of life prior to and then after the fall of Kabul. Schroyer’s winning essay examined the work of the mysterious street artist Banksy and the provocative and challenging questions that his artwork forces the viewer to consider.
In the original art category, the judges selected four runners-up: Audrey Cote of Lebanon High School, for a digital portrait of an Iranian poet and LGBTQ rights activist; Alexandria Dowling of Timberlane Regional High School, for an acrylic on canvas painting celebrating the “Woman. Life. Freedom.” movement in Iran; Kyra Raczek of Newmarket Jr/Sr High School for an oil on canvas painting depicting the arrest of a Bangladeshi American by ICE agents; and Manafshay Shazad of Manchester Memorial High School, for sound art and poetry titled “Room 50.” Scholarships were also awarded to two runners-up in the essay category: Julian Gutierrez Carbanzo of Nashua High School North, who examined the human rights impact of artist Keith Haring during the AIDS crisis; and Marcus Hamilton of Profile High School, whose essay discussed the powerful human rights messages found in the classic comics of Jack Kirby.
Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation, congratulated the scholarship winners and said, “It was a privilege to review the work of these talented students and to see the creative ways they are interpreting major human rights issues through art, as well as the critical thinking that they bring to this competition. Whether creating original artwork or analyzing the impact that activist artists have had on the world, these students truly impress me with their sophistication and their attention to the human rights violations unfolding globally and even closer to home. This is a critical moment to protect and work to advance human rights everywhere. It gives me hope to see the rising generation engaging in the topic of human rights with such passion, and I hope the scholarships will help these students carry this passion forward as they pursue higher education.”
Funding for the scholarships has been generously provided since its inception through a grant from Bank of New Hampshire. “The Bank is proud to support the Lantos Foundation’s Activist Artist Scholarship and the remarkable students it supports each year,” said Robert Magan, SVP – Senior Wealth Management Officer. “These young artists and scholars are using creativity to shine a light on critical human rights issues, and their work is both inspiring and deeply impactful. Bank of New Hampshire is honored to support their educational journeys and to invest in a generation that is already making a difference through art and advocacy.”
The winners were selected by a panel of judges from the New Hampshire arts and education communities, and beyond, with a diverse range of experience and perspectives. This year’s judges included: Bank of New Hampshire’s Robert Magan, digital media specialist Isaac Campbell, Lantos Foundation Board of Trustees Treasurer Ambassador Richard Swett, retired Lantos Foundation staff member Jill Hadaway, Executive Director of the Amer Foundation Zoya Fakhoury, and Lantos Foundation President Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett. The judges volunteered their time and expertise to review the submissions and come to agreement on the scholarship winners.
Following graduation, the scholarship winners will continue their studies at a range of colleges and universities, including Boston College, Great Bay Community College and others. The scholarship recipients will be honored at a reception hosted by Bank of New Hampshire on Tuesday, May 19 at 6pm. Members of the press who wish to attend the event should RSVP to press@lantosfoundation.org.
The Activist Artist Scholarship program falls within the Lantos Foundation’s “Global Citizenship” area of work. The Foundation recognizes the powerful, yet often overlooked, role that artists play in the human rights movement. Through the Activist Artist Scholarship and other programs, the Foundation seeks to encourage, support and elevate the work of artists who use their art to advocate for important human rights causes.
To learn more about the Foundation’s Activist Artist work and to stay updated on future awards, visit: https://www.lantosfoundation.org/activist-artist
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About the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice: The Lantos Foundation was established in 2008 to carry forward the legacy of Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a leading human rights champion. Based in Concord, NH, the Foundation works with a range of partners and often in cooperation with the U.S. Government on issues that span the globe. The Foundation’s key areas of focus include human rights issues related to religious freedom, rule of law, internet freedom and activist art. The Foundation also administers the Lantos Congressional Fellows Program, supports human rights advocates, activists and artists through its Front Line Fund grant program, and awards the annual Lantos Human Rights Prize to honor and bring attention to heroes of the human rights movement. Past recipients of the Prize include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Professor Elie Wiesel, Iraqi Parliamentarian Vian Dakhil, “Hotel Rwanda” hero Paul Rusesabagina, Hong Kong Democracy activist Joshua Wong, NBA athlete turned activist Enes Kanter Freedom, among others.