Hello!
I haven’t seen a thread yet for the 2015-2016 Scholastic Awards, so I thought I would make one. I plan on submitting an art portfolio and a writing portfolio. Quick question for those of you who have submitted a writing portfolio previously: can critical essays focus on a specific book or literature genre? I have written a bunch of essays on classic Americans works like Invisible Man, Great Gatsby, etc., but I’m not sure if they even qualify… I’m hoping so!
Good luck to all who plan on entering! 
Yay I’m entering also! I’m in Western Region at Large and I’m entering: a digital art, journalism, flash fiction, and video game. My writing isn’t the best, but I hope it makes the cut… I’m pretty confident about my video game though (took me like 200+ hours)
Btw I think book essays could work because the scholastic website says that no entries will be canceled because of the content. You should be fine! Good luck!!!
Ok great, thank you! Good luck to you as well!!
I entered in novel writing for Western Writing Region at Large.
have any of you checked your scholastic account? I just did. It does not say anything about being successfully completed. Just “your deadline has passed.” I uploaded and paid for all entries two days before the deadline. I mailed in my forms certified mail and it was postmarked 1 day before the deadline. Any info would be appreciated.
Wait, I’m confused… For art, are awards given by regions? I live in Hawaii, so would that mean I would be up against other candidates from Hawaii for medals?
@likestowrite
The same thing happened to me.
@yujifuji
“The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented in communities by Local Programs – a dedicated network of more than 100 organizations across the country. Regional Programs support educators, students and parents when submitting work; organize local judging by professional artists and writers; recognize students at public ceremonies; and showcase Award-winning work through exhibitions, publications and readings. Regional Programs also submit the top award-winning work to the Alliance for national judging.”
http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/faq/
Regional judging first, then national, if you’re picked to move on.
Super paranoid that I wrote the mailing address wrong O.O
@bodangles
But what if my region has no local program?!
@Balletfreak1999 Put in your zip code on the Deadlines page of their website and it should say something like “____ Region At Large,” if that’s the case. If you’re in the U.S or go to an American school abroad, they’ll make sure you get judged regionally by someone.
@bodangles
Will they think your story is plagiarized if it’s uploaded on another site currently?
@Balletfreak1999 I doubt it. The possible conflict I could see there is with exclusive rights – like if you’ve already submitted it to an online literary journal and it’s been published there and they have exclusive rights to it, then Scholastic can’t accept it as a submission, because they want the rights so they can publish whichever ones they choose in their anthologies. But if it’s just you uploading it on your personal Tumblr or whatever, they don’t say anything against that, as far as I can tell.
@bodangles thanks for all your help!
Entered with 6 poetry submissions in the WRAL; I really hope I make it.
Anyone have any idea of when the awards will be announced?
@rabblerowser
It might depend on your regional program. But for West Writing Region At Large, it will be announced on February 3rd, at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
@bodangles
How do we know that they received our work in the mail?
@Balletfreak1999: you don’t. They didn’t receive three of my submissions last year, and I only found out later because two of the checks we submitted with my works had been cashed and three hadn’t.