Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Encyclopedia
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization
established in 1994, identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their remarkable work to a national audience through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Alliance works with more than 100 regional affiliates to provide creative teens with opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. The Alliance also recognizes teacher excellence through awards and professional development workshops.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were established by Scholastic Inc.’s founder, Maurice R. Robinson, to ensure that literary and artistic talent were recognized in their schools and communities. The program began as a small writing contest; today, they offer recognition in 30 diverse categories of art and writing. The Awards are open to students in grades 7 through 12 from public, private and home schools throughout the U.S. (and its territories), as well as American-run schools abroad and community programs serving eligible student populations.
Process
The program is structured to identify and recognize students through regional award designations (including Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention) and national designations (Gold Medal, Silver Medal, American Visions and Voices). Regional awards are administered by a national Regional Affiliate network that includes school systems, nonprofit organizations, museums, foundations, arts agencies, teacher councils and institutions of higher education that share a commitment to identifying emerging artists and writers in their communities.
Submission to the Awards begins in the fall of each year as teens submit creative works to the affiliate in their region. The most outstanding works of art and writing from each region are forwarded to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in New York City to be reviewed on a national level. Panels of professional jurors review thousands of works of art and manuscripts to select approximately 1,300 national award recipients. 15 Portfolio Gold Medalists receive $10,000 awards, representing the highest level of achievement for graduating seniors. Seniors who earn top honors in the Awards are eligible for scholarships at more than 60 colleges and art institutes who annually earmark funds for Scholastic Award winners.
The Scholastic Art Awards are also recognized by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (a consortium of leading art and design colleges in the U.S.) as an effective way for artistic students to develop successful portfolios for college admission.
, William Saroyan
, Frank McCourt
, Kiki Smith
, George Plimpton
, Korva Coleman, Esmeralda Santiago
, Tatiana von Furstenberg
, Bill Murray
, Judy Blume
, Langston Hughes
, Madeleine L’Engle, Faith Ringgold
and Billy Collins. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
In 2010, the Alliance granted scholarships (up to $2,500 per student) to allow 90 low-income, high-achieving teens to attend summer art and writing intensives. Some participating institutions include Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, The Putney School, Parsons Pre-College, School of Visual Arts, UVA Young Writers Workshop, Kenyon Young Writers Workshop, Columbia University Pre-College, and NYU Pre-College.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
established in 1994, identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their remarkable work to a national audience through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Alliance works with more than 100 regional affiliates to provide creative teens with opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. The Alliance also recognizes teacher excellence through awards and professional development workshops.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
In 2010, over 77,000 students in grades 7 – 12 submitted more than 165,000 creative works. Founded in 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the longest running, most prestigious competition and largest source of scholarships for creative teenagers in the United States. Over the last 87 years, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have:- Encouraged more than 13 million students
- Recognized more than 9 million young artists and writers
- Made available more than $25 million in awards and scholarships
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were established by Scholastic Inc.’s founder, Maurice R. Robinson, to ensure that literary and artistic talent were recognized in their schools and communities. The program began as a small writing contest; today, they offer recognition in 30 diverse categories of art and writing. The Awards are open to students in grades 7 through 12 from public, private and home schools throughout the U.S. (and its territories), as well as American-run schools abroad and community programs serving eligible student populations.
Process
The program is structured to identify and recognize students through regional award designations (including Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention) and national designations (Gold Medal, Silver Medal, American Visions and Voices). Regional awards are administered by a national Regional Affiliate network that includes school systems, nonprofit organizations, museums, foundations, arts agencies, teacher councils and institutions of higher education that share a commitment to identifying emerging artists and writers in their communities.
Submission to the Awards begins in the fall of each year as teens submit creative works to the affiliate in their region. The most outstanding works of art and writing from each region are forwarded to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in New York City to be reviewed on a national level. Panels of professional jurors review thousands of works of art and manuscripts to select approximately 1,300 national award recipients. 15 Portfolio Gold Medalists receive $10,000 awards, representing the highest level of achievement for graduating seniors. Seniors who earn top honors in the Awards are eligible for scholarships at more than 60 colleges and art institutes who annually earmark funds for Scholastic Award winners.
The Scholastic Art Awards are also recognized by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (a consortium of leading art and design colleges in the U.S.) as an effective way for artistic students to develop successful portfolios for college admission.
Selection Panels of The Awards
The selection panels for both regional and national levels of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are composed of artists, writers, curators, critics, educators and professionals from the nation’s leading creative industries, some of whom are past award recipients. Notable past jurors include Robert FrostRobert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
, William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
, Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
, Kiki Smith
Kiki Smith
Kiki Smith is an American artist classified as a feminist artist, a movement with beginnings in the twentieth century...
, George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
, Korva Coleman, Esmeralda Santiago
Esmeralda Santiago
Esmeralda Santiago is a Puerto Rican author and former actress known for her novels and memoirs.-Early life:Santiago was born on 17 May 1948 in the San Juan district of Villa Palmeras, Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1961, she came to the continental United States when she was thirteen years old, the...
, Tatiana von Furstenberg
Tatiana von Fürstenberg
Tatiana Desirée Prinzessin zu Fürstenberg or Princess Tatiana Desirée zu Fürstenberg ) is an American rock singer and filmmaker - and daughter of fashion designers Diane and Egon von Fürstenberg-External links:...
, Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, Judy Blume
Judy Blume
Judy Blume is an American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million and been translated into 31 languages...
, Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
, Madeleine L’Engle, Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold is an African American artist, best known for her painted story quilts. She is professor emeritus in the University of California, San Diego visual art department.-Life and artwork:...
and Billy Collins. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
The National Celebration Events
The Alliance’s recognition of outstanding young artists and writers culminates in a year-end event in New York City where winners meet their creative peers, view and read the work of other exceptional teens from across the nation, and are introduced to professionals in New York City’s creative industries through panels and interactive workshops. All national award winners are invited attend an Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, an exhibition opening of student works and creative development workshops.National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Teen Exhibition
Hosted at renowned New York City venues, this annual exhibition showcases the creative vision of teenagers with exceptional potential in an exhibit of poetry, short stories, paintings, drawings, sculpture, mixed media, video games, ceramics, photography and more.Creative Industries Workshops
National award winners are invited to attend creative development workshops as part of National Events. In 2010, the Alliance hosted workshops in venues throughout New York City that introduced students to playwrights, artists, editors, writers, photographers and other creative professionals. Workshops covered topics such as creating video games, film production, finalizing an art portfolio, the future of the publishing industry and behind-the-scenes tours at The New Yorker, Rolling Stone Teen Vogue, and HarperCollins. Teachers also participated and had the option of attending specialized workshops and professional development panels.Visual Arts Categories
- Architecture
- Comic Art
- Ceramics & Glass
- Digital Art
- Design
- Drawing
- Fashion
- Film & Animation
- Jewelry
- Mixed Media
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Video Games
- Art Portfolio
- Photography Portfolio
Writing Categories
- Dramatic Script
- Humor
- Journalism
- Personal Essay/Memoir
- Persuasive Writing
- Poetry
- Novel Writing
- Science Fiction/Fantasy
- Short Story
- Short Short Story
- General Writing Portfolio
- Nonfiction Portfolio
Program Supporters
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is supported by Scholastic Inc., the Maurice R. Robinson Fund, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Command Web Offset, The New York Times, Ovation, Dick Blick Co., AMD Foundation, Amazon.com, Half Price Books, the New York Department of Cultural Affairs and many other individuals and companies who support our mission.Young Artists Program
The Young Artist Awards Program of The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is funded through a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The program aims to sustain and raise the level of achievement of low-income students who receive Gold Keys in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Young Artist Awards Program encourages low-income, high-achieving students in grades 7-11 to take their work to the next level by providing them with tools, resources and additional opportunities to help them think critically about their work.In 2010, the Alliance granted scholarships (up to $2,500 per student) to allow 90 low-income, high-achieving teens to attend summer art and writing intensives. Some participating institutions include Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, The Putney School, Parsons Pre-College, School of Visual Arts, UVA Young Writers Workshop, Kenyon Young Writers Workshop, Columbia University Pre-College, and NYU Pre-College.
Notable alumni
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- Peter Beagle
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- Mel BochnerMel BochnerMel Bochner is an American conceptual artist. Mr. Bochner received his BFA in 1962 and honorary Doctor of Fine Arts in 2005 from the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University...
- Stan BrakhageStan BrakhageJames Stanley Brakhage , better known as Stan Brakhage, was an American non-narrative filmmaker who is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th century experimental film....
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- Maureen DalyMaureen DalyMaureen Daly , was an American author best known for her novelSeventeenth Summer , one of the first to target a teenage audience....
- Paul DavisPaul Brooks DavisPaul Brooks Davis is an American graphic artist.-Biography:Paul Brooks Davis, better known as Paul Davis, was born in 1938 in Centrahoma, Oklahoma...
- Abdi Farah
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- Carolyn ForchéCarolyn ForchéCarolyn Forché is an American poet, editor, translator, and human rights advocate.-Life:Forché was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 28, 1950, to Michael Joseph and Louise Nada Blackford Sidlosky. Forché earned a B.A...
- Myla GoldbergMyla GoldbergMyla Goldberg is an American novelist and musician.-Biography:Goldberg was born into a Jewish family. She was raised in Laurel, Maryland, and graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School. She majored in English at Oberlin College, graduating in 1993...
- Rodney Alan Greenblat
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- Arnold Hurley
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- Robert IndianaRobert IndianaRobert Indiana is an American artist associated with the Pop Art movement.-Life and work:Robert Indiana was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana. His family relocated to Indianapolis, where he graduated from Arsenal Technical High School...
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- Sue MillerSue MillerSue Miller is an American writer who has authored a number of best-selling novels. Her duties as a single mother left her with little time to write for many years, and as a result she did not publish her first novel until 1986, after spending almost a decade in various fellowships and teaching...
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- Zac PosenZac Posen- Early life :Posen was raised in the SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan, the son of artist Stephen Posen and corporate lawyer Susan Posen. His interest in fashion design started early, and as a child he would steal yarmulkes from his grandparents' synagogue to make ball dresses for dolls...
- Richard RappaportRichard RappaportRichard Rappaport, born 1944 in Pittsburgh, is a classically trained painter of portraits and large-scale figurative works whose pictorial evolution has spiraled towards and away from the Renaissance ideal for half a century....
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- Thane RosenbaumThane RosenbaumThane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, and law professor . He is the author of two novels, The Golems of Gotham and Second Hand Smoke , and a collection of short stories, Elijah Visible Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, and law professor (http://thanerosenbaum.com/). He is the author of...
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- Windfield Townley Scott
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- Paul Tedeschi
- Oldrich Teply
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- Kay WalkingStickKay WalkingStickKay WalkingStick is a Native American painter and educator. She is enrolled in the Cherokee Nation and is also of Scotch-Irish and Ho-Chunk descent. She currently resides in New York and was a Professor of Art at Cornell University from 1988-2005....
- Andy WarholAndy WarholAndrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
- Idelle WeberIdelle WeberIdelle Weber is an American artist most closely aligned with the Pop art and Photorealist movements.-Biography:Weber was born in Chicago, IL in 1932. She attended Scripps College in Claremont, California, and UCLA, where she received a BA in 1954 and an MA in 1955...
- Charles White
External links
- The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Blog
- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards on Facebook
- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards on Youtube
- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Media Room
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
- The National Writing Project
- National Art Education Association