34 students earn national academic awards

Thirty-four students have earned national academic awards for 2026, with 12 receiving Barbados Scholarships, 21 securing Barbados Exhibitions and one receiving the Award of Excellence.

Queen’s College accounted for seven of the 12 scholarships, while the Barbados Community College (BCC) dominated the exhibition list with 13 awardees.

The scholarship recipients from Queen’s College are Azani Blades, Ethan Dear, Chaya Griffith, Kaela Hinds, Joshua Jemmott, Amaris Nicholls and Arrielle Thompson.

Harrison College’s Accalia Ince and Asia Inniss also received scholarships, along with Abiygayil Wiggins of The St Michael School and BCC students Maliqua Cherubin and Kamani Holder.

Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw congratulated the awardees as the Ministry of Education Transformation announced the results.

“Today is one of those occasions that reminds us why education remains one of the greatest investments that any nation can make,” she said.

“At this moment, Barbados honours a remarkable group of young people whose performance in the 2026 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, the Barbados Community College’s Associate Degree programme, and in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate has earned them the nation’s highest academic awards.”

Archer-Bradshaw told the students their achievements reflected significant work and sacrifice.

“To every awardee gathered here today, congratulations to you. Your accomplishments did not happen by chance. Behind every grade one, every exceptional GPA, and every scholarship qualification lies a story that very few people see.

“It is a story of very early mornings and very late nights, of balancing internal assessments with examinations, of choosing commitment over convenience… Today your names are being called because your hard work spoke louder than your obstacles.”

Among the 21 Exhibition winners are Harrison College students Narisha Ashwanauth and Benjamin King, while Queen’s College produced Anaya Moore, Brandon Squires and Daniel Wickham.

The St Michael School’s Kamari Cummings, Sariah Mc Lean and Kaylee Lynch-Proverbs also received Exhibitions.

BCC accounted for 13 Exhibition winners: Diamond Anthony, Leila Archer, Tremaine Bynoe, Paige Corbin, Krystiana Depeiza, Adannah Farley, Dominic Garner, Nyeka Gibson, Cherisse Mallett, Aziz Mehter, Decara Prescod, Savannah Small and Zyanna Waithe-Marshall.

Salena Rudder was the sole recipient of the Award of Excellence.

Archer-Bradshaw also acknowledged students who did not receive the highest national honours but had made progress in their academic performance.

“Additionally, I acknowledge those students who did not receive grade ones but whose dedication and perseverance were no less. Your performance in the exam was your best performance to date. You put your best foot forward and achieved what you thought was not possible. We are proud of you too.”

She said the achievements also reflected the contribution of teachers, principals and families.

“We understand that no student arrives at this moment alone,” Archer-Bradshaw said. “We thank our teachers for believing in the potential of our students and for the countless hours that they spent preparing lessons, marking assignments, conducting practical exercises, and encouraging young people to believe that excellence is attainable.”

She also recognised the role of parents and guardians.

“To our parents and guardians today, this is also your celebration. Your encouragement during moments of uncertainty, your sacrifices to provide educational opportunities, your reminders to remain focused, and your unwavering support have helped to shape the young people we honour today.” (