Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts (Est. 1980)

The Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts is awarded annually to two graduating Seniors who, in the opinion of the Faculty, have demonstrated excellence or the highest standards of proficiency in performance or execution, and in the field of composition in one of the following general areas: architecture and design, creative writing, dance, film and video, music, theater, painting, sculpture, photography, and digital arts.

2025

Nicole Lam, Ezra Stiles College

Nicole Lam graduates cum laude and with distinction with a double major in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and a joint B.S./M.S. in the latter. Yet Nicole has also made an enduring impact at Yale through music. A gifted conductor, pianist, and vocalist, Nicole has led the Yale Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor, directed the Berkeley College Orchestra, and performed with the Yale Schola Cantorum. She completed four years of solo piano recitals through the School of Music’s selective lessons-for-credit program. Her musical leadership extended across campus stages, where she conducted or directed sixteen theatrical productions and coached vocalists for eight more.

Nicole’s presence in rehearsal rooms has been transformative — her artistry, rigor, and joy has elevated every ensemble she led. Beyond Yale, she founded Love Through Music, a nonprofit that brings music to underserved communities. With over 500 members in nine branches, it has hosted more than 50 charity concerts nationwide. A versatile and passionate artist, Nicole has touched thousands who have heard her play the piano, listened to her sing, or watched her conduct.

For her extraordinary talent, leadership in performance, and commitment to music as a force for connection and healing, Yale College is proud to award the Louis Sudler Prize for Excellence in the Performing and Creative Arts to Nicole Lam.

Mazie Wong, Jonathan Edwards College

Mazie Wong graduates with a degree in Art. More than an artist or muralist, Mazie is a world-builder — an imaginative thinker whose work invites viewers into metaphysical spaces where ecology, emotion, and identity intertwine. Her creations reflect a deep engagement with art history, fiction, and material craft, and her ability to merge concept and process is rare and remarkable.

Mazie’s work spans painting, ceramics, and fresco, each medium approached with rigor, reverence, and a hunger to master its history and technique. Her most ambitious project, Growing Apart / Falling to Pieces, is a permanent 7-foot-by-10-foot fresco mural installed in Jonathan Edwards College. The labor-intensive process — grinding pigments, preparing lime plaster, and painting on wet surfaces — demands precision, patience, and vision. Mazie’s choice of this medium speaks to her commitment to pushing artistic boundaries and honoring tradition while forging new paths.

Her work is not only technically masterful but conceptually rich, offering viewers a mirror, a metaphor, or a moment of reflection. She creates spaces that invite contemplation and connection.

For her ambition, her devotion to learning, and her ability to bring new worlds into being, Yale College is proud to award the Louis Sudler Prize for Excellence in the Creative Arts to Mazie Wong.