The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Launch into Their Second Century as They Open Their 101st Annual Call for Submissions

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers invites creative teens nationwide to submit original works to categories including mixed media, journalism, editorial cartoon, poetry, and more.

NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative teens, are now accepting entries from teenagers across the country in grades 7–12. Teen artists and writers are invited to enter original works for recognition, scholarship opportunities, and the chance to join the new century of Awards recipients.

Presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have served as a launch pad for millions of teens, with many luminaries attributing their confidence to pursue their careers to the Awards. For over a century, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have encouraged the passions, talents, and perspectives of millions of teens, validating their creative abilities and the belief that their voices matter, including some of the program's most notable alumni, such as Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, José Parlá, Amanda Gorman, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol, all of whom received recognition through the program as teens.

To learn more about the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, or to enter work in any of the program's 28 categories, visit: artandwriting.org

During the 2023 program year, participation was up 15% from 2022, with more than 100,000 teens from U.S. territories, Canada, and every state in the nation entering over 300,000 works of art and writing. Works by more than 40,000 teens received regional recognition, and more than 2,000 works of art and writing receiving national recognition, including nearly $500,000 in direct scholarships and millions in tuition support.

"As we enter a new century of the Awards, we at the Alliance are thrilled to see what this year's class of young artists and writers will be creating and putting forward," said Christopher Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit administrator of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. "We are living in a time where creative output, specifically among young people, is so needed, and we are proud to serve as a safe space where young creatives can freely explore, create and communicate their ideas and passions into thought-provoking works of art and writing."

The 2024 scholarships and cash awards include:

• Portfolio Awards: The program's highest national honor, 16 Gold Portfolio Award recipients will receive $12,500 scholarships for their writing or art portfolio, and their educators will receive $1,000 awards; 24 Silver Medal Portfolio Award recipients will receive $2,000 scholarships, with their educators receiving $250 awards.
• The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon: Underwritten by The Herb Block Foundation, this award provides three young artists with $2,000 scholarships for visual art that offers commentary on current events, social events, or political topics, and their educators with $500 awards.
• New York Life Award: Underwritten by the New York Life Foundation, this award recognizes ten students $2,500 scholarships/travel stipends for their work exploring personal grief, loss, and bereavement, and their educators with $500 awards.

Students ages 13 and up residing in the United States, U.S. territories and military bases, or Canada are invited to enter 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, skill, and the emergence of personal vision or voice and without knowledge of the student's name, gender, age, ethnicity, or hometown. Works are reviewed first on a regional level by more than 100 local affiliates of the Alliance, and those that receive Gold Keys are then adjudicated nationally by an impressive panel of industry experts. Entry fees are $10 for individual entries and $30 for portfolios. Fees can be waived for any potential participant for whom the fee is a barrier for entry. Fee waivers are made possible, in part, by BLICK Art Materials.   

Deadlines for entries vary by region. The National Medalists of the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will be announced in March 2024, 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 Art & Writing Awards Traveling Exhibition, a touring public exhibition featuring select 2024 National Medalists' works. Recipients may have their work published in anthologies showcasing stories, essays, and poetry by teen authors, and 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., New York Life Foundation, The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Command Companies, The Herb Block Foundation, Quad, BLICK Art Materials, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Jay Pritzker Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, ChangeCX, Lindenmeyr Book Publishing Papers, Grafica Veneta/Lake Book Manufacturing, Garcia Family Foundation, The New York Times, and numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Hearthland 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 in the Scholastic media room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.

SOURCE Alliance for Young Artists & Writers