Schmidt Vocal Arts has announced the winners of its second annual high school national competition.

Taking home first place was Ella Vaughn (17); she wins a $10,000 cash prize. The Ohio native graduated from Walnut Hills High School.

In second place and taking home $7,500 was soprano Kimberly Alexandra Adam of Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania. Soprano Dalila Lugo from Miami Florida was the third-place winner and will receive $5,000.

This year’s judges featured soprano Alyson Cambridge, soprano and Associate Artistic Director of Detroit Opera Christine Goerke, and Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Evans Mirageas.

“The talent presented at the Schmidt Vocal Competition was truly outstanding. These are, without a doubt, the best and most promising high school singers in the country! The Opera and Broadway worlds are lucky to have these young singers on their way to very bright futures. The technical proficiency, beauty of voice, poise, charisma, and “it” factor on display in the final round was so impressive, and I was truly honored to be a part of recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding such terrific talent, and to hopefully impart some salient words to help guide and support them on their musical journeys,” Cambridge said of the competition in an official press statement.

Last year’s winner was soprano Nicole DiPasquale of Bell Creek Academy High School.