Epstein Youth Awards: Who Made the 2026 Honoree List

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, a U.S. nonprofit, has named six students as honorees for its 2026 Fred J. Epstein Youth Achievement Award. The award recognizes high school students aged 19 or younger with learning and attention differences who have achieved notable accomplishments in any field, including academics, athletics, service and the arts. The winners will be celebrated at the organization's Denim & Sparkles Spring Benefit on Thursday, May 14 at 6:00 PM.

This year's group includes Kirtan, who has ADHD and anxiety and now leads community seminars on 504 plans and IEPs while creating ADHD-focused video content; Annabella, who overcame dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD and apraxia of speech to earn a 4.0+ GPA and a 97th-percentile math score while founding her school's Culinary Club; and Ethan, co-founder of the Little Lev Library and the Positivity Project, with more than 400 hours of community service.

Rounding out the list are Elizabeth, president of her school's debate club and an Eagle Scout who led a service project addressing period poverty; Ashley, a National Honor Society inductee who serves on the Connecticut Department of Education Youth Advisory Board and competes in equestrian events; and Christiana, who has delivered a TEDx talk, captained an internationally recognized mock trial team and co-founded the mentoring group Ambassadors of Tomorrow.

The organization says the honorees' perseverance, resilience and leadership reflect the potential of young people with learning and attention differences, and that many are poised for further achievement in college and workplaces across America. Honorable mentions will also be awarded. Applications for the 2026 cycle have closed, with the submission deadline having been January 20, 2026; winning students and their parents receive transportation and hotel accommodations for the benefit.

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What This Year's Class Reveals About Neurodivergent Student Success

Beyond the individual stories, the 2026 class shares a consistent pattern: personal progress paired with service to peers. Elizabeth paired debate-club leadership and an Eagle Scout project with an anti-period-poverty drive; Christiana mentors through karate instruction and her Mock Talk podcast; Kirtan teaches families about the 504 plans and IEPs that helped him. The repeated emphasis suggests the award celebrates advocacy as much as achievement.

Support Systems as a Recurring Turning Point

Several honorees, in the organization's account, were initially underestimated in school environments that did not yet understand how their minds worked. The turnaround in each profile comes from the right support, structured routines and self-advocacy. For parents and educators, these stories are concrete illustrations of what formal accommodations and individualized approaches can unlock.

A Visibility Platform for Neurodivergent Students

The award also serves a larger purpose for Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities: public evidence that students with LD and ADHD are ready for college and workplaces. The organization says many honorees are poised for bigger achievements in higher education and careers. For admissions offices and employers, the message is that demonstrated leadership and persistence, not the absence of a learning difference, define what these young people bring.

For Families: Preparing for the Next Award Cycle

  • Watch for the next application window. The Epstein award runs annually and is open to high school students aged 19 or younger; with the 2026 cycle closed as of January 20, 2026, families should check the Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities site for the next deadline.
  • Note what participation includes. Winning students and their parents receive transportation and hotel accommodations for the benefit, and Honorable Mentions are also awarded, so the recognition carries no direct cost to families.
  • Follow the honorees' playbook. The 2026 class repeatedly credits 504 plans, IEPs and structured routines as turning points — tools families can raise in school planning meetings — and pairs achievement with peer service and advocacy projects.