Thirty-four outstanding young scholars across Barbados have been awarded the country’s highest national academic distinctions for 2026, following exceptional performance across regional secondary examinations and post-secondary associate degree programs. The cohort includes 12 recipients of the prestigious Barbados Scholarship, 21 winners of the Barbados Exhibition, and one student honored with the exclusive Award of Excellence.
Leading the pack of scholarship recipients, Queen’s College secured seven of the 12 available awards, with the seven honorees named as Azani Blades, Ethan Dear, Chaya Griffith, Kaela Hinds, Joshua Jemmott, Amaris Nicholls and Arrielle Thompson. Two additional scholarships went to Accalia Ince and Asia Inniss of Harrison College, while Abiygayil Wiggins from The St Michael School and two Barbados Community College (BCC) students, Maliqua Cherubin and Kamani Holder, rounded out the scholarship cohort.
In the Exhibition category, BCC dominated the results, claiming 13 of the 21 available honors. The college’s winning students are 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. Two Harrison College students, Narisha Ashwanauth and Benjamin King, three from The St Michael School — Kamari Cummings, Sariah Mc Lean and Kaylee Lynch-Proverbs — and three Queen’s College scholars, Anaya Moore, Brandon Squires and Daniel Wickham, also secured Exhibition awards. Salena Rudder is the only recipient of this cycle’s Award of Excellence.
The results were formally announced by the Ministry of Education Transformation, with Chief Education Officer Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw extending official congratulations to all honorees during the announcement. She framed the recognition as a powerful reminder of why education stands as one of the most critical investments a nation can make in its future. “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,” Dr. Archer-Bradshaw stated.
Addressing the award-winning students, she emphasized that their success was no accidental outcome, but the direct result of consistent hard work and deliberate sacrifice. “Behind every grade one, every exceptional GPA, and every scholarship qualification lies a story that very few people see,” she explained. “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.”
In an inclusive gesture, Dr. Archer-Bradshaw also took time to recognize students who did not walk away with top national honors, but still achieved meaningful personal academic growth. “Additionally, I acknowledge those students who did not receive grade ones but whose dedication and perseverance were no less,” she said. “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.”
Dr. Archer-Bradshaw also stressed that student achievements are never the product of individual effort alone, and highlighted the critical contributions of educators, school leaders, and family members. She extended gratitude to teachers for the long hours invested in lesson planning, assignment grading, practical skill training, and consistent encouragement that helps students believe excellence is within reach. She also celebrated parents and guardians, noting their quiet sacrifices to fund educational opportunities, steady support during periods of uncertainty, and ongoing reminders to stay focused have been foundational to shaping the young scholars honored across the country.