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Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Submitted by admin on Mon, 12/29/2008 - 13:19.

Art & Writing Awards

AT–A–GLANCE
What is it?

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation's longest-running, most prestigious educational initiative supporting student achievement in the visual and literary arts.  The program has an impressive legacy of being the first to acknowledge creative talent and is today's largest source of scholarships for creative teens.

Who's it for?

Creative teenagers in grades 7–12 from public, private and home schools throughout the U.S. and its territories, as well as American-run schools abroad and students who make art and writing through community organizations.

Visit the Website

artandwriting.org

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Contact

Sara Sinek
ssinek@scholastic.com
(212) 343-6899

Michael Barrett
mbarrett@scholastic.com
(212) 343-6570

Art & Writing In The News

THE WASHINGTON POST
Gold Medal Portfolio winner Razan Elbaba breaks stereotypes about Muslim women throughout her winning artwork

PBS NEWSHOUR
Art Beat talks to Gold Medal Portfolio winner, Nyanna Johnson, about her winning black-and-white photography portfolio.

TIME.COM
Jade Lo, a winner in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and six renowned artists experiment with new virtual reality gear that creates 3D artwork

THE NEW YORKER
An inside look at the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards national adjudication process with 12th grade photography judges Andres Serrano, Casey Kelbaugh and Julie Saul.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Gold Medalist Steven Paul, 17, of Brooklyn, NY discusses his photograph "Lost Time," which was painted by Colossal Media on onto the side of a building in Williamsburg.

NBC NEWS
Gold Medalist Steven Paul from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, NY featured on “Nightly News” to talk about his Award-winning photograph.

Winning a Scholastic Art & Writing Award brought me from high school in Wichita, Kansas, to art school in New York City. It changed the course of my life.

—— Tom Otterness, acclaimed American sculptor, public artist and Awards alumnus

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Press Releases

Background

What are the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards?

  • The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recognize student achievement in the visual and literary arts in 29 categories, including editorial cartoon, poetry, graphic design, fashion, science fiction, video game design and more.
  • Since 1923, the Awards have recognized and encouraged millions of students, including Truman Capote, Philip Pearlstein, Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol and John Updike, who won when they were teens.  In more recent years, famous names such as Stephen King, Myla Goldberg, Zac Posen, Lena Dunham and Richard Linklater have become alumni of the program.
  • An Award signifies to parents, teachers, the community and colleges that a student is an accomplished artist or writer.
  • The Awards offer opportunities for creative teens to earn recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships.
  • In the 2015 program year, 16 high school seniors received the Portfolio Gold Award, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.
  • Through the Scholarship Provider Network, $10 million in scholarships is set aside specifically for Scholastic Award–winning high school seniors to apply for at more than 60 colleges and universities who have partnered with the Alliance.
  • Additional cash awards are offered to students in all grades, as well as teachers.
  • More than 100 Regional Affiliates throughout the country run the Awards in their local communities and areas of operation.
  • Nearly 70,000 teen artists and writers are recognized in their regions each year. More than 1 million original works have been submitted and over $40 million has been made available in scholarships and awards to top winning students over the past five years alone.
  • Each work of art and writing is blindly adjudicated, first locally through the more than 100 affiliates of the Alliance, and then nationally by panels of judges comprised of renowned artists, authors, educators and industry experts.
  • Works are judged on originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal vision or voice.
  • To learn more about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and to read the full rules, visit: http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/how-to-enter

 

What is The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers?

  • The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is the national nonprofit organization that presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and provides additional opportunities for creative teens to be recognized for their talents and to earn scholarships for their education.
  • The Alliance’s mission is to identify teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and bring their remarkable work to a national audience.
  • The Alliance also serves as a source of information for organizations and individuals who wish to support the creative development of our nation’s teenagers.
  • With the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Alliance is a founding partner of the National Student Poets Program, the country’s highest honor for young poets which is open exclusively to winners of national Scholastic Awards in poetry. Five students are selected annually.
  • The Alliance is grateful to our generous sponsors, who provide funds to support all our programs, including the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the Art.Write.Now.Tour, the Scholastic Awards Summer Workshops, and the Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarships: Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, Command Web Offset Co., The New York Times, New York Life Foundation, The Herb Block Foundation, Blick Art Materials & Utrect Art Supplies, Gedenk Movement, Royal Bank of Canada, Golden Artist Colors, Neiman Marcus, Bloomberg Philanthropies, ESA Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Bernstein Family Foundation, and the Poetry Foundation.

What is the National Student Poets Program?

  • The National Student Poets Program is a signature initiative of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. It is the nation’s highest honor for young poets presenting original work.
  • This partnership reflects the national imprimatur of the President's Committee and its Honorary Chairman, First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as the Administration's commitment to the arts and humanities education. The Institute of Museum and Library Services' community-based network of libraries and museums links the National Student Poets with audiences and resources in their communities and surrounding regions. The program builds upon the Alliance's longstanding work with educators and creative teens through the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
  • Now in its fourth year, the Program selects five outstanding high school poets for one year of service as national poetry ambassadors. Each National Student Poet represents one of five regions of the country.
  • The 2015 National Student Poets' year of service began in Washington, D.C. with a reading hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.
  • During the course of their ambassadorial year, the National Student Poets showcase the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success by leading readings and workshops at libraries, museums and schools, as well as participating in prestigious events throughout the country. They additionally create and implement service projects that expand the reach of the program and its engagement with audiences in their respective regions.
  • The National Student Poets each receive an academic award of $5,000 funded by the Bernstein Family Foundation and serve as resources for the Library of Congress and U.S. Department of Education during their tenure.
  • The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the exclusive pathway to be considered for the National Student Poets Program. Students must achieve a National Gold or Silver Medal in poetry through blind adjudication by a national panel of jurors. From the top-winning work in the Scholastic Awards, an esteemed panel of expert judges selects five student poets, based on the student’s creativity, promise and dedication to craft.
  • Students in grades 10–11 who are interested in becoming 2016 National Student Poets are able to submit their entries to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards now through the fall. Deadlines for art and writing submissions vary by region.
  • Information on the Program, students and upcoming events can be found at www.artandwriting.org/NSPP
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The 2016 National Student Poets

Download a one sheet about the 2016 National Student Poets.

Stella Binion
Age 17
Walter Payton College Prep
Chicago, IL
Region: Midwest
Maya Eashwaran
Age 17
Milton Public High School
Alpharetta, GA
Region: Southeast
Gopal Raman
Age 17
St. Mark’s School of Texas
Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Joey Reisberg
Age 17
George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology
Towson, MD
Region: Northeast
Maya Salameh
Age 16
San Diego High School of International Studies
San Diego, CA
Region: West

 

 

White House Committee Names Five Student Poets for Prestigious National Student Poets Program

(click on a photo to open a hi-res version in a new window)

Photos

 


First Lady Michelle Obama hosts a poetry reading in honor of the 2016 National Student Poets, from left: Maya Salameh, Joey Reisberg, Gopal Raman, Maya Eashwaran and Stella Binion in the State Dining Room of the White House on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP Images for Alliance for Young Artists & Writers)


From left, Gopal Raman takes a selfie with his fellow 2016 National Student Poets, Maya Eashwaran, Stella Binion, Joey Reisberg, and Maya Salameh on the grounds of the White House following a poetry reading with the First Lady Michelle Obama on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP Images for Alliance for Young Artists & Writers)

 

 

Art.Write.Now.Tour 2016–17

Art.Write.Now.Tour, a traveling exhibition of select Scholastic Art & Writing Award–winning works, highlights some of the most stunning examples of teen-produced art and writing in the nation.

Current Cities

New tour dates announced in September 2016

Past Cities

  • Art.Write.Now.DC at The U.S. Department of Education and The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Washington D.C.: September 2015 – August 2016
  • University of South Dakota, John A. Day Gallery, Vermillion, SD: March 2 – April 1, 2016
  • Crazy Horse Memorial, Native American Educational & Cultural Center, Crazy Horse, SD: March 2 – April 1, 2016
  • Springs Preserve, Las Vegas, NV: April 14 – May 23, 2016
  • Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University, Indianapolis, IN: November 4 – December 7, 2015
  • Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL: September 16 – October 25, 2015
  • Catskill Art Society, Livingston Manor, NY: February 21 – March 22, 2015
  • Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT: October 22 – November 19, 2014
  • Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI: September 2 – September 21, 2014
  • National Exhibition at Parsons The New School for Design and Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY: June 5 – June 14, 2014
  • The Laramie County Library, Cheyenne, WY: April 12 – May 15, 2014
  • Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA: February 5 – March 2, 2014
  • National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM: November 15 – December 16, 2013
  • Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA: September 6 – October 2, 2013
  • National Exhibition at Parsons The New School for Design and the Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY: June 1 – June 15, 2013
  • Fort Worth Library, Fort Worth, TX: March 7 – April 27, 2013
  • College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI: September 29 – November 3, 2012
  • Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA: November 16 – December 30, 2012
  • Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO: January 24 – February 22, 2013
  • National Exhibition at Parsons The New School for Design, New York, NY: June 2 – June 16, 2012
  • New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, New Orleans, LA: March 29 – April 27, 2012
  • National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA: February 16 – March 14, 2012
  • Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR: January 4 – January 27, 2012
  • Chicago Urban Art Society, Chicago, IL: November 20 – December 16, 2011

To see a sample of works included in the Art.Write.Now.Tour 2015–16 traveling exhibition, click here.

 

 

The 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Photo Downloads

(click on a photo to open a hi-res version in a new window)

Photos

 


2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Award recipient, Zachary Guziak, snaps a selfie of, from left to right, filmmaker Ken Burns, former U.S Poet Laureate Billy Collins, Emmy award-winner and bestselling author Tim Gunn, and fellow award recipient Olivia Reavey, at the National Ceremony for the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic)
 

Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin chats with Gold Medal Portfolio recipient Razan Elbaba, from Vienna, VA, at the National Ceremony for the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic)
 

Pictured from right to left, Emmy award-winning writer, actor and children’s author Sonia Manzano, Emmy award-winner and bestselling author Tim Gunn, admire the fashion portfolio of Gold Medal Portfolio recipient Fiona Jungmann, from Andover, MA, at the National Ceremony for the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic)
 

From center left to right, Filmmaker Ken Burns, Emmy award-winning writer, actor and children’s author Sonia Manzano, Emmy award-winner and bestselling author Tim Gunn, and Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin, pose with the 2016 Gold Medal Medal Portfolio recipients at the National Ceremony for the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic)
 

Filmmaker Ken Burns delivers the keynote address to 660 students and their families and teachers after he received the 2016 Alumni Achievement Award at the National Ceremony for the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic)

Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin addresses students and their families and teachers at the National Ceremony for the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Photo by Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Scholastic)

 

Video Download

2016 National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Highlights

Award ceremony highlights (for media use only):  2016-SAWA-Press-Reel-HD.mp4 (114.2MB)

Archived Press Releases