Recognition
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, along with our Regional Partners, celebrates creative teens year-round, regionally and nationally, with awards, exhibitions, publications, and scholarships.
What are we looking for?
Selection Criteria
Originality
We want to celebrate work that is unique and blurs boundaries. We want work that challenges your assumptions. Is it new? Does it surprise you?
An original work is different from what others have created. This means the work is not copied from someone else’s original art or writing. We understand that artists and writers sometimes make work that references other creators and popular culture in original and meaningful ways, but every work that wins a Scholastic Award must be substantially different from any source material.
Review our Copyright & Plagiarism Guidelines to ensure your work is original!
Skill
We interpret the word “skill” broadly. This may refer to craftsmanship and the way the work was made, but it may also refer to other types of skill. Consider critical thinking, problem-solving, or the way an idea is developed over time. Empathy can be a skill. Creativity is a skill!
Emergence of a Personal Voice or Vision
We’re looking for work that expresses an authentic perspective and stands out from classroom assignments and social media trends.
JUDGING
All adjudication is anonymous.
Entries are selected for awards without knowledge of the participant’s gender, age, ethnicity, or hometown by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts. Many Scholastic Awards alumni have lent their expertise as jurors, such as Marc Brown, Kay WalkingStick, Michael Bierut, Philip Pearlstein, and Edward Sorel.
Other notable jurors include Langston Hughes, Judy Blume, Billy Collins, Edwidge Danticat, David Sedaris, Nikki Giovanni, Mickalene Thomas, Willie Cole, James Warhola, Ocean Vuong, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Tina Mabry.
Jurors look for works that exemplify the Awards’ core values: originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
Awards
Regional Awards
All entries are first considered for regional awards: Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention.
National Awards
Entries that win a Gold Key are automatically considered for national recognition, including Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and scholarship awards.
A list of all National Medalists is published on our website each spring.
National Ceremony
Teens who receive Gold Medals or select scholarships, their educators, and their guests are invited to a celebration of their remarkable accomplishment with a star-studded ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Recent special guests include Oprah Winfrey, Tim Gunn, Alec Baldwin, Tituss Burgess, Amy Schumer, Kelly Clarkson, Zac Posen, John Leguizamo, Tschabalala Self, Nick Cannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Derek Luke, Kinsale Drake, Tina Fey, and Rose Byrne.
Highlights from previous years and full-length videos of our most recent ceremonies are available to watch online.