Allyson Barkan, abarkan@scholastic.com, 212-389-3469

Maxine Osa, mosa@scholastic.com, 212-343-6625

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers invites students to enter their original works in an array of categories, including drawing and illustration, photography, flash fiction, and more

NEW YORK, NY – September 1, 2021 – The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative teens, are now inviting students from across the country in grades 7–12 to enter their work. Presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, in the 2021 program year the Awards recognized nearly 2,000 works of art and writing on the national level, out of nearly 230,000 submissions to regional programs, and distributed more than $300,000 in scholarships and millions in tuition support. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have fostered creativity and talent since 1923 for millions of students and feature a notable list of alumni who received recognition through the program as teens, including Amanda Gorman, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath, and Andy Warhol.  

To learn more about the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, or to enter, visit http://artandwriting.org.

“At the Alliance, we are constantly impressed by the creative vision, passion, originality, and dedication to skill that shines through each submission we receive. These young artists and writers are harnessing the power of their unique voices and exploring how to make their ideas, opinions, and perspectives resonate in their communities and within our broader society, no matter how challenging or controversial the subject,” said Christopher Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. “Our goal at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is to champion this artistic self-expression, support today’s teens in seeing the value in their work and individuality, provide opportunity for recognition, and support young creatives on their path to self-discovery.”

Students ages 13 and up residing in the United States, U.S. territories and military bases, or Canada are invited to submit original work in any of the Awards’ 28 art and writing categories, including drawing and illustration, photography, flash fiction, poetry, film and animation, and journalism. All works are selected for awards based on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal vision or voice and without knowledge of the student’s name, gender, age, ethnicity, or hometown, first on a regional level by more than 100 local affiliates of the Alliance, and then nationally by an impressive panel of industry experts. Annually, the Alliance partners with individuals, foundations, and corporations to offer scholarship opportunities for students in certain categories or addressing particular themes.

The 2022 scholarships and cash awards include:

• Best-in-Grade Award: Underwritten by Bloomberg Philanthropies, this award provides 24 students (two artists and two writers per grades 7–12) with $500 scholarships, and their educators with $250 awards.
• Civic Expression Award: Underwritten by the Maurice R. Robinson Fund, this award provides $1,000 scholarships to six students whose art or writing explores political or social issues, and their educators, with $250 awards.
• New York Life Award: Underwritten by the New York Life Foundation, this award recognizes six students on the national level with $1,000 scholarships for their work exploring personal grief, loss, and bereavement, and their educators with $250 awards. Additional $500 scholarships are also available for two students from each of the following states: Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Tennessee.
• One Earth Award: Underwritten by the Salamander Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, this award provides four students with $1,000 scholarships for creative works that address the pressing issue of human-caused climate change, and their educators with $250 awards.
• Portfolio Awards: The program’s highest national honor recognizes 16 high school seniors each with a $10,000 scholarship for their writing or art portfolio, and their educators with $1,000 awards; 30 Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolio recipients each receive $1,000 scholarships, and their educators receive $250 awards.
• The Alliance/ACT-SO Journey Award: In partnership with the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), this award provides full-tuition scholarships to attend summer art or writing programs for up to ten ACT-SO scholars, who also receive Gold or Silver Keys at the regional level of the Awards.
• The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon: Underwritten by The Herb Block Foundation, this award provides three young artists with $1,000 scholarships for visual art that offers commentary or criticism on current events, social events, or political topics, and their educators with $250 awards.

Deadlines for entries vary by region. The National Medalists of the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will be announced in March 2022, and throughout the spring the Alliance will host a series of virtual and in-person celebrations for students, families, and educators, culminating with the summer launch of the Scholastic Awards Traveling Exhibition, a touring public exhibition featuring select 2022 National Medalists’ works. Writing recipients may have their work published in Best Teen Writing 2022, an anthology showcasing stories, essays, and poetry by teen authors; and art recipients in Best Teen Art 2022, highlighting paintings, photographs, drawings, and other works by teen artists. For more details about the Awards, visit www.artandwriting.org.

About the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and are made possible through the generosity of Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, New York Life Foundation, Command Companies, The New York Times, The Herb Block Foundation, Blick Art Materials & Utrecht Art Supplies, Quad, AppleTV+, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Salamander Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, Salesforce, Garcia Family Foundation, Lindenmeyr Book Publishing Papers, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Golden Artist Colors, and numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Hearthland Foundation, Poetry Foundation, and Academy of American Poets.

For more information about the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, visit www.artandwriting.org. Additional details about the Awards can be found on the Scholastic media room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.

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