Burgeoning artists, along with their families and supporters, filled Kapolei Hale's courtyard last night as 10 students were presented with 2009 Leeward Young Artist Awards. They were selected from the 49 finalists honored at the event.

Award winners included:

- Serena Lum, Grade 4, Waiau Elementary School

- Shannen Sakai, Grade 4, Waiau Elementary School

- Jaelene Robley, Grade 5, Pearl City Highlands Elementary School

- Sabrina Haverly, Grade 6, Pearl City Highlands Elementary School

- Kaiden Mokiao, Grade 6, Palisades Elementary School

- Dane Kaneshiro, Grade 7, Highlands Intermediate School

- Julia Kuratsu, Grade 7, Kapolei Middle School

- Jaypee Balisacan, Grade 8, Highlands Intermediate School

- Justin Ea, Grade 9, James Campbell High School

- Kalin Sandobal, Grade 12, Waianae High School

In addition, the Honolulu Academy of Arts awarded scholarships to the following three students to attend art classes at the Academy Art Center:

- Roman Dona, Grade 4, Ewa Elementary School

- Makaella Cameron, Grade 8, Highlands Intermediate School

- Romel Ramos, Grade 12, Pearl City High School

Artwork from all 49 finalists will be on display in the lobby of Kapolei Hale for the next week. This exhibit marks the first time most of these students have had their artwork on public display. There were more than 250 entries from 20 public schools (K-12) in the Leeward area of Oahu for this year's competition.

The Leeward Young Artist Awards is sponsored by Walmart, in cooperation with the State Department of Education Leeward District, the City & County of Honolulu, and the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts. Campbell Estate established the program 16 years ago as a way of recognizing the important role that the arts play in the development of young minds. That tradition continues today.