To learn more about the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, or to submit work in one of the program’s 28 categories, visit: artandwriting.org
For the past 100 years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has been a space for teens to push boundaries and make waves with their creative pursuits. The program has served as a launch pad for generations of artists, writers and professionals in a wide variety of industries, with many luminaries attributing their confidence to further their careers to the awards. Since their inception, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have nurtured the passions, talents, and perspectives of millions of teens, validating their creative abilities and the belief that their voice matters.
“Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have supported the artistic endeavors of adolescents and provided a space for young creatives to express themselves and contribute their voices and ideas to a larger conversation. original writing that we have recognized over the past 100 years has not only been inspirational and thought-provoking, but together reflect our country’s history, culture, struggles and achievements.As we enter our second century, our mission has never been more vital, and I look forward to seeing what a new generation of young artists and writers share with us through the awards,” said Christophe Wisniewskiexecutive director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit administrator of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
To launch the 100e year of recognition for the nation’s creative teens, the Alliance is thrilled to announce that global bestselling author and award-winning illustrator David Pilkey (Dog Man, Cat Kid Comic Club, Captain Underpants) will underwrite the scholarships of 12 high school students for their outstanding portfolios – two Gold Medal Portfolio Award scholarships worth $12,500 each as well as 10 Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolio Award Scholarships worth $2,000 each. As part of The David Pilkey Awards which add up to nearly $50,000the educator of each recognized student will also receive $1,000 for each of the two Gold Medal Portfolio Awards and $250 for each educator of the recipients of the Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolio Award.
As a young adult, David Pilkey, whose teacher encouraged him to illustrate and write books, won a national competition that led to the publication of his first picture book. He went on to do many acclaimed children’s books before receiving a Caldecott Honor. To learn more, visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey.
The Dav Pilkey Awards add to a long list of new and already established scholarships and sponsored awards. Each year, the Alliance partners with individuals, foundations, and corporations to provide scholarship opportunities for students in certain categories or on particular themes.
The 2023 scholarships and cash awards include:
- *NEW* The Flaunt It Award: Developed in conjunction with Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It (DHIFI, Inc.), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to advance acceptance, tolerance, and mutual respect for visible differences or invisible to people. The prize, underwritten by Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It, RBC Foundation UNITED STATESand Morgan Stanley, rewards teens who look or feel different and who reflect and share their experiences (whether challenging, accepting or celebrating) about what makes them unique.
- The Flaunt It prize includes two $1,000 scholarships (one for art and one for writing) for teens whose outstanding work explores DHIFI’s theme: “Things that make me different make me, me.”
- *UPDATE* Portfolio Awards: The program’s highest national honour, 16 Gold Portfolio Award winners will now receive $12,500 scholarships for their writing or art portfolio, an increase of $10,000 before, and their educators will receive $1,000 price; 24 Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolio Award recipients will now receive $2,000 scholarships, an increase of $1,000 previously, their educators receiving $250 price.
- The Herblock prize for editorial design: Sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation, this prize offers three young artists $1,000 scholarships for the visual arts that offer commentary on current events, social happenings, or political topics, and their educators with $250 price.
- New York Life Awards: Guaranteed by the New York Life Foundation, this prize recognizes six students at the national level with $1,000 scholarships for their work exploring personal grief, loss, and bereavement, and their educators with $250 price. Additional $500 scholarships are also available for two students from each of the following states: California, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennesseeand Texas.
- Alliance/ACT-SO Path Award: In partnership with the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), this award provides full scholarships to attend summer art or writing programs for a maximum of ten ACT-SO Fellows, who also receive gold or silver. Key regional awards.
Students aged 13 and over residing in United StatesUS territories and military bases, or Canada are invited to submit original works in one of the 28 art and writing categories of the awards, including drawing and illustration, photography, flash fiction, poetry, film and animation and journalism. All works are selected for prizes based on their originality, skill and the emergence of a personal vision or voice and without knowledge of name, gender, age, origin ethnicity or hometown of the student. Works are first reviewed regionally by over 100 local Alliance affiliates, and those awarded Gold Keys are then judged nationally by an impressive panel of industry experts. Registration fees are $10 for individual registrations and $30 for wallets. Fees may be waived for any potential participant for whom fees constitute a barrier to entry. Fee waivers are made possible, in part, by BLICK Art Materials.
Application deadlines vary by region. The 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Medalists will be announced in March 2023, and throughout the spring, the Alliance will host a series of virtual and in-person celebrations for students, families, and educators, culminating in the summer launch of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Traveling Exhibit, a traveling public exhibition featuring some 2023 National Medalists’ works. Recipients may have their work published in anthologies featuring stories, essays, and poetry by teenage authors and highlighting paintings, photographs, drawings, and other works by teenage artists. For more details on the awards, visit www.artandwriting.org.
About the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the nonprofit 501(c)(3) 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, The Jay Pritzker Foundation, Quad and The Windhover Foundation, BLICK Art Materials, National Endowment for the Arts, The New York Times, Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It, RBC Foundation USA, Morgan Stanley, AppleTV+, Lindenmeyr Book Publishing Papers, Garcia Family Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and many other individual, foundation and corporate donors; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Hearthland Foundation, the Poetry Foundation, and the Academy of American Poets.
For more information about the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, visit www.artandwriting.org. Additional pricing details are available in the Scholastic Media Room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.
SOURCE Alliance for Young Artists and Writers