Whiz Kid: Henry Drayton Advances to National Competition for Young Artists

Middletown High School senior Henry Drayton won two Gold Key Art Awards, one for drawing, another for photography. Meet our Patch Whiz Kid.

Name: Henry Drayton, senior
School: Middletown High School
Accomplishments: Henry is the recipient of two Gold Key Awards from the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.

Key to Awesomeness: In the recent Scholastic Art Awards Competition, Henry won a Gold Key Award for his charcoal drawing self portrait and another Gold Key for his Light Painting Digital Photography Portfolio. Only 200 Gold and Silver awards are given out each year across the United States. As a Gold Key recipient, his works will now advance to the next round for adjudication in New York against other national competitors.

"It was a real honor to win a gold key," Drayton said. "It’s just awesome in general to get that kind of recognition.”

Drayton said he has been painting since his junior year and also works in collage, charcoal drawings, computer graphics and photography, in which he likes to manipulate light with long exposures. He aspires to work in film and plans to study filmmaking and photography. More of Henry's work can be seen here.

Know a great kid who deserves to be honored? They could be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree.

Each week, Middletown Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual  kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams or clubs that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to angelal@patch.com.