Two students received honorable mentions in the final round of the Music Center Spotlight Awards. Out of the five semifinalists from Harvard-Westlake, Megan Ward ‘13 received a third place honorable mention in the Classical Voice category and Maria Gonzalez ‘13 was recognized with an honorable mention for her photography.

The Music Center Spotlight program awards over $100,000 in scholarships to finalists, semifinalists and honorable mentions.

The 15 semifinalists in each category of the competition participated in a master class before their semifinal audition. Two grand prize finalists were selected to perform in the grand finale concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on May 4. According to the Music Center website, the works of all the semifinalists were shown at a special awards reception in a prominent Southern California gallery.

Ward has been participating in the Spotlight Awards since ninth grade.

“I just missed the final round, but I am still really happy with the outcome,” Ward said. “Everyone in my category, and every category for that matter, has such amazing talent. Sitting in the master class and listening to everyone perform their songs, I realized how lucky I am to be a part of a community of people who are so passionate about the arts.”