Hi everyone. Rising Junior here. I found about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and was wondering if anyone had any experience with it? Gold medalists? Any tips for poetry specifically?
Thanks!
My daughter submits in the art category and so far won a regional gold key and an honorable mention. It’s worth taking a shot.
I have found it is hard to predict which pieces will be selected - the artwork she did that I thought was pretty good won nothing, while pieces she almost didn’t even submit were chosen. I find it’s difficult to know what, specifically, they are looking for.
@Dancingmom518 Thank you for your response! Did your daughter get a national medal?
No, unfortunately she did not get a national medal. However you should also know that regional gold and silver key winners are eligible to apply for summer program scholarships (she applied but was not selected for a scholarship). I’m sure they are very, very selective, and they say that finances are heavily weighed in their decision making, but again, it’s worth a shot!
If you are at all interested in writing (or art) and you already have pieces that you think might have a chance at winning an award, you should definitely apply. It can’t hurt, and from what I understand any kind of award recognition from Scholastic is valued by colleges, when it comes time for you to apply.
Best of luck, and keep writing!
@Dancingmom518 Thanks for all your help!
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@jazhope321 I’ll echo what dancingmom518 said about the unpredictability of the Scholastic awards. My son has been submitting pieces since 8th grade. He has had pieces I thought were extraordinary that got nothing regionally, then freshman year he got a National Silver medal on a paper he wrote for school which I thought was just “ok”. We always submit at least a few pieces to see what happens. If any of your pieces get regional or national recognition you have the added benefit of putting them under your accomplishments for college applications.
I agree the pieces that win are often in the hmmmmm category while “lesser” pieces can be extraordinary. No real rhyme or reason (pun intended). I think many of the pieces which win are trying to comment on some social aspect of life. They seem to combine artistic merit with valuation based on teed angst and societal perspectives. Would love to know what the judging criteria is based on.