The four-month wait from the Scholastic Art and Writing Regional Awards announcement and Nationals is almost over as the news drops on June 11th. Unfortunately, due to technological issues, there will be no ceremony in New York this year. National winners will be invited to a Zoom-based celebration in August–but, as was shown during the pandemic lockdown, virtual experiences aren’t the same as in-person.

The Scholastic awards were founded in 1923. Students in grades 7-12 can apply to 28 different categories of art and writing for a chance to win scholarships up to $12,000, medals, and an invitation to the annual awards ceremony hosted in NYC. Jurors look for applications with originality, skill, and the emergence of a voice/vision. Notable alumni include Stephen King, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Judy Bloom, and Joyce Carol Oates. Entries are selected without knowledge of the student’s gender, age, ethnicity, and city. If you’re interested in entering, visit www.artandwriting.org to get updates on when the 2025 submissions open.

Oregon has had a shaky history with sponsors who will review entries for regional awards. Last year, work went to the Pacific Northwest College of Art. This year, all art and writing was reviewed by the Region-at-Large program–having entries compete not only against other Oregonains, but submissions from Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. This has made it hard for Oregon local newspapers to acknowledge award recipients, so for award recipients–whether you won regionals or win nationals–if you would like to have a shout-out on the school’s Instagram account, fill out the form below. Out of 300,000 yearly applicants, 5-7% of students win a gold key (regional gold medal), and 0.7% win a national award. Congratulations on your hard work and well-earned achievements!