The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. The program recognizes thousands of students every year with awards, scholarships, exhibitions, ceremonies and more. Top recipients of regional-level honors (Gold Key winners) will automatically be entered into consideration for national-level awards.
The Scholastic Awards look for work that demonstrates originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
DEADLINE: December 12, 2019
WHO CAN SUBMIT: students in grades 7–12
WHAT TO SUBMIT:
- CRITICAL ESSAY: 500–3,000 words; reviews, persuasive essays, opinion essays, etc.
- DRAMATIC SCRIPT: 500–3,000 words; television, film or stage; excerpts accepted with 250-word summary.
- FLASH FICTION: Up to 1,000 words.
- HUMOR: 500–3,000 words; all work in which humor is the key element should be submitted in this category.
- JOURNALISM: 500–3,000 words; writing that informs and educates about newsworthy topics or current events, characterized by a presentation of facts or description of events.
- NOVEL: Excerpt up to 3,000 words, 250-word summary of the novel, and full manuscript in PDF form.
- PERSONAL ESSAY/MEMOIR: 500–3,000 words.
- POETRY: 1–5 poems; 20–200 lines (total for the entire collection).
- SCI-FI & FANTASY: 500–3,000 words.
- SHORT STORY: 500–3,000 words.
- WRITING PORTFOLIO: Up to 24,000 words; series of 8 distinct works that demonstrate versatility & diversity in writing technique and styles; from one category or any combination of multiple categories; seniors only.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
- Sign Up
Create an account at artandwriting.org/login to submit your work to the 2020 Scholastic Awards. - Create and Upload Your Work
After you have created your work, you can upload it to your Scholastic Awards Account. Once you have logged in, follow the instructions to upload all of your submissions into the system. Every category has specific requirements so please read the Guidelines and Category Descriptions carefully. Note that you will need your educator’s email address (NA students: fjames@newarka.edu or your English teacher’s email address). - Send in the Required Forms
After uploading your work, print your submission forms and have a parent or guardian and an educator (NA students: Flannery James or your English teacher) sign them. Submit the form(s) and fee(s) following the instructions on the Submission Form and the guidelines below. Mail signed submission forms and payments to:
Teen Room, 3rd Floor
Newark Public Library
P.O. Box 630
Newark, NJ 07101-0630
FEE: $7 per individual submission; $25 per portfolio submission. Make checks payable to NEWARK PUBLIC LIBRARY. Students for whom submission fees would be a barrier to participation may request a fee waiver. Please have a parent or guardian sign the Fee Waiver Form. Include the fee waiver form when you submit your signed submission form(s) to complete your registration.