1993 Scholastic Art Exhibition opening at Howard University
By Haley Richardson, Scholastic Awards Archivist
This year’s Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall is shaping up to be the biggest celebration the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have ever seen. With a sold out show and live streaming webcast of the event, there’s a lot to celebrate!
All of this got me thinking about the different ways in which the Awards have been celebrated through the last 90 years.
On the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail’s Springtown Road Bridge!
City writers and country scribes, take note! Two worthwhile events beg for your attendance on Saturday, May 18. Bridging the Gap, organized by Scholastic Award Gold Key-winning poet Elijah Santner, is an interactive poetry event on a beautiful bridge just outside New Paltz, NY. At 3 PM, poets will gather to converse, write verse, and more—all to benefit the Hudson Valley Writing Project’s Young Writers Program! Nature Poetry Workshops will be led by Rich Parisio, NYS River of Words Coordinator, and at 5 there’s an open mic for all!
And at 5 PM in Brooklyn, One Teen Story, a literary magazine of young adult fiction, kicks off its teen short story contest! Julie Buntin, author of “Phenomenon,” a future issue of One Teen Story, will read an excerpt from her story. Local teen writers will also be reading from their work. One Teen Story editors will be giving away copies of “Night Swimming,” last year’s contest-winning story along with a handout of short story writing tips.
Scholastic Awards winners from the 1920s!
While this year’s Gold and Silver Medals (and Keys!) are still shiny, and the artists and writers who earned them float on cloud nine, we can be sure of one enduring fact: the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have delivered this kind of validation to creative teens for 90 amazing years! To celebrate this milestone, we dug into our vast archives and turned to esteemed colleague Bryan Doerries to tell the story that started in 1923 with just 7 submissions and is now the largest, most prestigious awards program in the U.S. Here’s a sneak peek at The Great Encouragement with Bryan as your guide!
We want to know! In celebration of the Scholastic Awards’ 90th anniversary year, we’re asking all of you to tell us why art and writing are important in your life. Give us your opinion here, and you could win a FREE copy of our 90th anniversary book, The Great Encouragement, which provides an in-depth look into the incredible 90-year history of the Awards and the students who have made it what it is today. You can also get a copy of The Great Encouragement by making a donation here to support the work of the Awards.
It’s hard for us to imagine a world without art and writing. They both bring out creativity like few other activities. In fact, Scholastic Awards founder Maurice R. Robinson once said that teens who produce art and writing are “acquiring something infinitely valuable – a feeling for beauty, which will color their entire lives, and the lives of those about them. There lies the great encouragement.” (Foreword to Saplings. Scholastic Publishing Company, 1928, and featured in The Great Encouragement).
We all have individual reasons for expressing ourselves creatively through art and writing, and that’s what makes each act of expression so special and unique. So tell us, why do you create or appreciate?
Enter to win a copy of The Great Encouragement now.
By Timarie Harrigan, Manager of Development & External Relations
This is a busy time of year for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, but a good busy. We’re getting ready to celebrate this year’s class of creative teens, our 90th Anniversary Year, and a bright and growing future for the Awards. (Did you know we hit a record number of 230,000 submissions this year?) This year is big, and we’re looking forward to doing it up in a big way at our 90th Anniversary Benefit on May 31.
Here are the basic deets:
90th Anniversary Benefit & Silent Auction
The Edison Ballroom
May 31, 2013
7:00pm – Cocktails & Silent Auction
8:00pm – Dinner & Program
9:30pm – After Party (yay!)
With so many influential, creative Scholastic Awards alums, our Silent Auction will be featuring alumni work exclusively. Read More
By Alana Benoit, Manager of National Programs
For the first time ever, in celebration of our 90th Anniversary, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will webcast the 2013 National Awards Ceremony LIVE from Carnegie Hall on May 31 at 6:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. PST. That means YOU can join in! We’re working hard to make this event extra special for everyone, including those who are unable to be at Carnegie Hall. We’re broadcasting this event with all of you in mind!
On May 31, we will be joined by special guests Sarah Jessica Parker and Zac Posen to honor National Awards winners from across the country; recognizing their achievement and the commitment of teachers, friends and supporters that help make the Awards possible. We hope you’ll share this incredible moment with us by watching the Ceremony on our Webcast page. Read More
