Scholastic Art & Writing Award

Competition introduction

The Scholastic Art & Writing Award, founded in 1923, is the oldest and most prestigious youth creative program in the United States. For nearly a century, the award has inspired unique ideas from creative teenagers around the world. Works of unique originality and innovative skill are selected by a jury of the most distinguished judges in the field of visual and literary arts.

Each year, youth in grades 7-12 submit more than 330,000 art and writing works in approximately 29 art and writing categories. A jury composed of the most distinguished figures in the field of art selects the following regional and national medals.

Scholastic's annual awards ceremony is very luxurious, and has invited celebrities such as famous host Oprah, fashion godfather Tim Gunn, poet and screenwriter Billy Collins as guests. The jury's selection criteria have three dimensions: Originality, Technical Skills, and Emergence of personal voice or vision.

Competing time

registration time

Registration opens every September

expiration date

December to January (deadlines vary by region)

Regional Awards Announced

January of the following year

National Awards Announced

March of the following year

national ceremony

June of the following year

Please refer to the official website for the latest information.

Contest ends February 29, 2024

gold content

Widely recognized by Ivy League schools/universities/art schools

Over $250,000 in awards and scholarships available

Cooperate with more than 100 visual and literary arts institutions

Application Requirements

Register an online account

Each work and portfolio will be charged, and the fees will be subject to notification

Upload your own works according to the requirements of different competition categories

After uploading, a confirmation document will be applied for and signed by the guardian or teacher.

Suitable for students in grades 7-12 (over 13 years old) from schools recognized by American institutions in the United States, Canada or other countries

Large-scale artistic and literary submission competition

American Art and Writing Competition – Project Category

Academic Arts and Writing Awards America's most influential academic event on arts and literature

Types Of Section

Art

Architecture & Industrial Design

Ceramics & Glass

Comic Art

Design

Digital Art

Drawing & Illustration

Editorial Cartoon

Expanded Projects

Fashion

Film & Animation

Jewelry

Mixed Media

Painting

Photography

Printmaking

Sculpture

Art Portfolio (graduating seniors only)

Writing

Critical Essay

Dramatic Script

Flash Fiction

Journalism

Humor

Novel Writing

Personal Essay & Memoir

Poetry

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Short Story

Writing Portfolio (graduating seniors only)

Prize Settings

Regional award categories

Gold Medal: The most outstanding entry in the local area, which is the key to competing for the national Golden Medal.

Silver Award: Entries that stand out.

Honorable Mention: Entrants who demonstrate extremely high skill and potential in their entries.

American Vision and Sound Nomination Awards: Among all the Golden Key Award-winning contestants, each region will nominate the best 5 to participate in the final national competition for the American Vision and Sound Award.

National Award Classification

Gold Medal: The nation's highest honor.

Silver Award: Competitors with outstanding performance on a national scale.

Honorable Mention: Entrants who demonstrate extremely high skill and potential in their entries.

American Vision and Sound Nomination Award: Among the 5 American Vision and Sound Award nominees from each region, one person from each region will be selected to award this award.

Gold or Silver Award for Outstanding Portfolio: This award is exclusively awarded to 12th grade students with outstanding portfolios and includes scholarships.

Special Award: The project’s sponsor will provide additional scholarships

Project Classification – Requirements

Art Categories

Architecture & Industrial DesignArchitecture & Industrial Design

Category (including but not limited to the following categories): architectural design, landscape design, interior design, urban planning or product design. This can include 2D work such as hand-drawn sketches, computer-aided designs, blueprints and plans, or 3D work such as handmade or 3D printed scale models, models or prototypes.

Building designs, landscape designs, interior designs, urban plans, or product designs. Can include 2D work such as hand-drawn sketches, computer-aided designs, blueprints, and floor plans, OR 3D work such as handmade or 3D printed scale models, maquettes, or prototypes.

[Note: The plan can be hand-drawn or computer-generated. Models must be sturdy and able to withstand transportation and exhibition. 】

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

[Note: If you are submitting a 2D work, please select "0" in the "Depth" and "Weight" fields]

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Ceramics & Glass Ceramics & Glass

Categories (including but not limited to the categories listed below): Anything made specifically from ceramic and/or glass falls into this category. Includes busts, figures, abstract shapes, vases, teapots, bowls, plates, cups, tiles, tableware or other utensils. Ceramic products may include pottery, stoneware, porcelain, etc. Glass products can include stained glass, cast glass, fused glass, blown glass, etc.

Anything made exclusively out of ceramics and/or glass belongs in this category. This includes busts, figures, abstract forms, vases, teapots, bowls, plates, cups, tiles, tableware or other vessels. Ceramic pieces may include earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, etc. Glass pieces may include stained glass, cast glass, fused glass, blown glass, etc.

[Note: Unfired ceramic and clay works should not be submitted; ceramic or glass works used for personal decoration should be submitted in the jewelry category. 】

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Comic Art Comic Art

Categories (including but not limited to the following): comics, comics, storyboards, webcomics, or graphic novel anthologies.

Comic strips, comic books, storyboards, web comics, or selections from graphic novels.

[Note: Please do not base your characters and plots on published comic books or published book series. 】

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Quantity that can be submitted: Up to 8 images per work.

Design design

Categories (including but not limited to the following): magazine layout, book cover, greeting card, font, letterhead, business card, calendar, or signage.

Magazine layouts, book covers, greeting cards, fonts, letterhead, business cards, calendars, or signage.

[Note: If you are submitting a 2D work, please select "0" in the "Depth" and "Weight" fields]

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Digital Art Digital Art

Categories (including but not limited to the following): Digital collage, photo manipulation, digital painting, and fractal art.

Digital collages, photo manipulation, digital painting, and fractal art.

[Note: You need to indicate the computer software used in the "Material List" column of the online submission form; digital art works can contain text, but submissions that contain text for commercial purposes should be filled in the design category; use a computer Digital photos that have been "touched up" or lightly processed by software should be reported in the "Photography category"; if your work has strong interactive elements, you can consider submitting it to the extended project category; if you are using collage images, please refer to Copyright and Plagiarism Guidelines. 】

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Quantity that can be submitted: 1 picture per work

Drawing & Illustration Drawing & Illustration

Category (including but not limited to the following categories): works drawn with pencil, ink, charcoal, chalk, crayon, scraper, marker, etc.

Pencil, ink, charcoal, pastel, crayon, scratchboard, marker, etc.

[Note: You are not allowed to submit drawings copied from published photos, the Internet or existing works, otherwise you will be disqualified. Please refer to the Copyright and Plagiarism Guidelines for details; sequence illustrations should be submitted to the Comic Art category; digital illustrations should be submitted to the Digital Art category; illustrations that directly depict political or social commentary should be submitted to the Editorial Comics category; animated .gif files are not accepted in this category , uploaded .gif files will be reviewed as static .gif files; please do not upload .zip files to this category. 】

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Quantity that can be submitted: 1 picture per work

Editorial Cartoon Editorial Cartoon

Categories (including but not limited to the following): Titled single drawings, comic strips, illustrations, digitally created drawings, or animated films with political themes or messages.

Single panel drawings with captions, sequential comic art, illustrations, digitally created drawings, or animated films with a political theme or message.

[Note: Multiple cartoons or other narrative illustrations that do not contain commentary or criticism of political events or current affairs should be submitted to the Comic Art category; illustrations that do not contain commentary or criticism of political events or current affairs should be submitted according to the tool used. , submit to the Painting and Illustration category or the Digital Arts category; animations that do not contain commentary or criticism of political events or current affairs should be submitted to the Film and Animation category. 】

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Expanded Projects Expanded Projects

Categories (including but not limited to the following): documented live art, experimental video art, installation, site-specific or research-driven process, conceptual art, social discourse or community project.

Documentation of live art, experimental video art, installation, site-specific or research-driven processes, conceptual art, social discourse, or community projects.

[Note: Do not submit dance, music, drama, or spoken word poetry submissions. 】

Require:

1. You must upload 1-8 files that clearly present your work. (.pdf, .jpg, .mp3, or .mp4);

2. The file size limit for each upload is 350 MB. If you have difficulty uploading your video files, please visit the FAQ;

3. Along with your work submission, you must submit a written statement summarizing the work and the background to your submission. The statement must not contain your name or bio as the jury will be looking at the statement;

Team Requirements: This project can include up to five collaborators.

Fashion fashion

Categories (including, but not limited to, the following): Fully realized items and clothing, sketches, tech packs, and more. Coats, dresses, shirts, gowns, scarves, hats, bags, belts, shoes and more, as well as experimental design, wearable art, pieces made from found materials.

Fully-realized articles and outfits, sketches, tech packs, etc. Jackets, dresses, shirts, gowns, scarves, hats, bags, belts, shoes, etc. as well as experimental designs, wearable art, and work made from found materials.

[Note: Clothing that cannot be worn on the body should be submitted to the sculpture category. 】

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

[Note: If you are submitting a 2D work, please select "0" in the "Depth" and "Weight" fields]

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Film & Animation Film & Animation

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): documentaries, narrative films, commercials, experimental videos, and hand-drawn, computer-generated stop-motion animations, etc.

Documentary films, narrative films, commercials, experimental video, as well as hand-drawn, computer-generated, or stop-motion animations, etc.

[Note: Please do not mail the DVD with your submission form. It must be uploaded to the online registration system; when registering, please indicate the equipment and software used in the "Material List"; since the awards are blindly judged, please do not add any titles to the film. And make sure you have the latest version of the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in when submitting your work. 】

Require:

1. Your video must be in one of the following formats. .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .avi, .mpg, .mpeg;

2. You must enter the video description in the text editor provided;

[Note: If the video you submit is longer than 5 minutes, we require that you also submit a version of 5 minutes or less. The judges will use the 5-minute version as an initial assessment of your work. 】

For movies and animation works longer than 5 minutes, please upload the following content.

3. Videos of five minutes or less (uploaded file size is limited to 350MB);

4. A complete version of your video. If your full video is under 5 minutes long, the second upload does not apply - please do not upload a higher resolution version of the same video;

5. The file size limit for this item is 800MB.

Team requirements:

1. There can be up to five collaborators;

2. Film and animation works submitted through cooperation can only be registered once to participate in the review;

3. All collaborators must create an account;

4. A student uploads a work and identifies up to four collaborators on the "Edit Information" page;

5. Once identified, collaborators will see an invitation to join the submitted work;

6. If collaborators are not listed and confirmed when submitting their work, they will not be eligible to receive rewards;

7. All collaborators must be eligible to enter the American Art & Writing Contest.

Jewelry

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): bracelets, rings, brooches, earrings, cufflinks, necklaces, etc.

Bracelets, rings, brooches, earrings, cufflinks, necklaces, etc.

[Note: Materials can include metals, semi-precious stones, plastics, beads, glass, found materials, etc. 】

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Mixed Media mixed media

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): collage, assemblage, paper cutting, handmade paper, batik, fiber art, art books, etc.

Collage, assemblage, cut paper, handmade paper, batik, fiber-based art, fine art books, etc.

[Note: Combinations of paintings and drawings that are applied to only one surface should be submitted in the painting or drawing category; mixed media combinations intended for viewing should be submitted in the sculpture category. 】

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

[Note: If you are submitting a 2D work, please select "0" in the "Depth" and "Weight" fields]

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Painting

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolor painting, gouache painting, tempera painting, ink painting, gouache painting, mural, spray paint, etc. applied on canvas, drawing board, paper or any flat surface.

Oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, tempera, ink, encaustic, fresco, spray paint, etc. applied on canvas, canvas board, paper or any flat surface.

[Note: Paintings that plagiarize your own published photos, Internet or existing works are not allowed to be submitted and will be disqualified. 】

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Quantity that can be submitted: 1 picture per work

Photography Photography

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): black and white photos, color photos, digital or analog photos, photographic works, other experimental photographic works, etc.

Black and white photographs, color photographs, digital or analog photographs, photograms, other experimental photography, etc.

Require:

1. Determine the type of photography technology used in the "Material List" column of the online registration;

2. Can use editing software (Adobe Photoshop, Corel PaintShop Photo Pro, Photo Explosion, etc.) to perform small modifications and image corrections in a manner that replicates traditional darkroom techniques (cropping, blurring, burning, adjusting brightness, contrast, color balance, etc.) .

3. Works that are digitally collaged, cloned, layered, merged, transformed, or extensively processed using computer software must be submitted to the digital art category.

4. Each work submitted to the photography category should be a unique image that presents a unique artistic vision.

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Quantity that can be submitted: One image can be uploaded for each photographic work. Students can upload up to 16 personal photographs.

Printmaking

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): woodcut/comic book, mask printing, gravure printing, lithography, etching, screen printing, gravure printing, etc.

Woodcut/linocut, monotype, intaglio, lithography, etching, silkscreen printing, collograph, etc.

[Note: Determine the printmaking techniques used in the "Material List" column of the online registration. 】

Type of work: 2D (height x width)

Quantity that can be submitted: One image can be uploaded for each work.

Sculpture sculpture

Categories (including but not limited to the following categories): Modeled, carved, cast, constructed or assembled objects. Materials may include, but are not limited to: clay, cardboard, metal, acrylic, wood, glass, stone, marble, textiles, plastics, and found objects.

Modeled, carved, cast, constructed, or assembled objects. Materials may include but are not limited to: clay, cardboard, metal, acrylic, wood, glass, stone, marble, textiles, plastics, and found objects.

[Note: Large-scale installations should be submitted in the Extended Projects category; any work made specifically with ceramics and/or glass falls under the Ceramics and Glass category. 】

Type of work: 3D (height x width x diameter and weight)

Quantity that can be submitted: 4 images per work

Art Portfolio (graduating seniors only)

Require:

1. A series of 6 different pieces that convey a cohesive idea or visual investigation. Works may be from one category or any combination of categories;

2. Each work in the art portfolio must comply with the same upload rules as works in individual categories;

3. Senior students can submit up to two art portfolios, but the two portfolios cannot submit the same work;

4. Do not include any identifying information, such as your name, in the portfolio title or work;

5. Extension project works cannot be included in the portfolio.

Writing Categories

Critical Essay: 500-3000 words;

Dramatic Script: 500-3000 words, if the script exceeds 3000 words, please provide a 250-word summary and attach the complete script PDF;

Flash Fiction: within 1,000 words;

Comedy Humor: 500-3000 words;

Journalism: 500-3000 words;

Novel Writing: excerpts within 3,000 words, summary of the full novel within 250 words, and full manuscript in PDF format;

Personal Essay & Memoir: 500-3000 words;

Poetry: 1-5 poems, 20-200 lines [Note: Each entry can consist of 1-5 poems, and will be evaluated in the form of a collection of poems. Students can submit multiple portfolios, but they must register separately];

Science Fiction & Fantasy: 500-3000 words;

Short Story: 500-3000 words;

Writing Portfolio:

1. The word count for each work submitted in a literary collection should comply with the length limits listed in each category;

2. The maximum length of the writing portfolio is 24,000 words (excluding author statement);

3. Senior students can resubmit works submitted in the previous year as part of their literary portfolio;

4. Do not include any identifying information in the portfolio title or submitted work.