Frequently Asked Questions
General
Entry fees are $10.00 per individual entry and $30.00 per portfolio entry.
If the entry fee is a barrier to your participation in the Awards, simply select the “fee waiver” option when entering your work in the online portal. If you have received instructions from your Affiliate about specific regional fee waiver protocols, please follow them.
If you are able to pay—please do! Your nominal entry fee helps a national community of creative teens participate in this program.
The Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and its Affiliate Partners. Entry fees support essential operational costs.
Fee waivers are made possible, in part, by BLICK Art Materials.
For more guidance on how to complete entry fees, view our Teen and Educator walkthrough videos on submitting payment.
Young artists and writers are free to explore any and all topics. No work is ever disqualified from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards because of the nature of its content.
There are no pre-defined prompts. Some scholarships are presented to teens whose work fits a particular theme.
Entry deadlines range from December to January and vary by region. To find your regional deadline, visit the My Region page. You might have different deadlines for art and for writing.
The Scholastic Awards are the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens!
Each year, more than 100,000 teens across the U.S. and Canada enter their art and writing for a chance to receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, and scholarships!
Uploading Your Work
Generally, there is no limit to the number of works you may enter, with the exception of Photography and Portfolio. Each participant is allowed to enter 16 works in the Photography category, and two art and two writing portfolios. The Portfolio category is open to teens in grade 12 only.
Teens may enter different works into multiple categories but are not allowed to enter the same work into more than one category.
Entry guidelines may vary for art and writing in each region. Please visit the My Region page to find your regional webpage with specific guidelines and deadlines.
No, teens and educators cannot edit works after the entry deadline.
Yes! You can edit your work until your regional deadline.
Writing work should be entered into the text box located in the upload section of the entry journey. You can type directly into this field or use copy + paste. Be mindful of your work’s formatting—a work will appear to jurors similar to how it appears in the text box. This is inclusive of features like line breaks or spacing.
We do not allow the submission of PDF documents for writing entries.
Yes, word limits vary depending on the category. If your work exceeds the word limit of a category, please enter a shortened version of the work.
Uploaded images should have a print resolution of 300 dpi and the file size should be around 3MB–5MB. Upload the best quality image you have.
The art categories have different upload requirements. Review each specific category listing for complete details.
For 2D works, show your plans in detail. You may choose to include concept drawings, sketches, material palettes, sections, elevations, site plans, and renderings in your image selection.
For 3D works, which often ask for multiple images, include one image that shows the work from the front at a slight angle against a white or neutral-colored background.
For the remaining images, include one detail shot, an image with a ruler for scale, and an image from the back of the work.
We also recommend taking in-progress photos of entries. While these are not required, they may be requested if an entry is flagged for potential plagiarism or AI violations. For more information, refer to the Participation Terms.
While there are no size limitations for art entries, regional exhibitions may not be able to display oversized works. Check your region’s guidelines for details.
Previously awarded works can be re-entered only as part of a portfolio.
Works that did not earn a regional or national award in previous years may be re-entered to individual categories only if they have been edited significantly.
You do not need to list an educator when entering your work. However, if you did work with an educator, we highly encourage you to list them so that they receive recognition for their guidance.
For more help on selecting your educators, view our walkthrough videos on Uploading Art Work and Uploading Writing Work.
Works cannot be entered as a group collaboration. Only one teen will be officially attached to a specific entry; however, you may add collaborator information, such as names, to the Work Sources fields during the work upload process. This includes works in the Film & Animation category.
Please use your best judgment when determining which teen involved in a project enters the work. The teen that enters the work will receive credit if the piece is awarded. A work cannot be entered multiple times by different teens.
We also recommend reaching out to your regional Affiliate. Attribution for collaborators might vary by region.
Policies (Including AI and Plagiarism)
The Alliance is proud to promote the exceptional work of young artists and writers to a wide audience of educators, students, program partners, and the general public through exhibitions, special events, print and online publications, and social media.
To do these things, we need permission from you. The non-exclusive license allows us to use, copy, change, publish, publicly perform, distribute, exhibit, or add to your work without further permission or approval from you as part of our mission to promote creative self-expression among young people.
All displays or publications will attribute you to your work.
This non-exclusive license also means that you can enter the same work you entered into the Awards to other scholarship programs or contests, keep the work in your portfolio, and license it to others for non-exclusive publication.
You don’t have to submit a consent form. However, you, not the Awards, are responsible for getting any necessary consents or releases from people or for any places or property depicted in your work. By entering work to the Awards, you certify that the work is yours and does not infringe on anyone else’s intellectual property rights.
You may enter the work to other scholarship programs or contests or license it to others for non-exclusive publication. If you plan to enter work to another awards program or publication, review their rules first to confirm that they will not hold exclusive rights to your work.
In the case that your work receives a Scholastic Art & Writing Award, it must be free to use in our publications or exhibitions under the non-exclusive license described in our participation terms.
Yes, if they do not hold exclusive rights to your work. In the case that your work receives a Scholastic Award, it must be free to use in our publications or exhibitions under the non-exclusive license described in our participation terms.
All work entered into the Awards must be original, meaning you create the work based on your own ideas. By entering work to the Awards, you agree that you created it and did not copy it from any other person, business, school, or organization. Any work that infringes anyone’s intellectual property rights will be disqualified.
For more information about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards’ Copyright & Plagiarism policy, review the links below.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards acknowledge that many artists and writers are using AI technologies as a tool to engage in the making of original work, and therefore, as of July 1, 2025:
- The Scholastic Awards permits the use of AI technologies to aid in the artistic process during the creation of an entered work, such as brainstorming or outlining.
- The Scholastic Awards does not permit and will deem ineligible any entered work for which the final product is itself AI-generated.
The Scholastic Awards define AI-generated work as a work that is automatically created based on prompts or other inputs, with minimal or no human interaction. These types of works do not meet the Scholastic Awards’ standards for originality. If a teen enters an AI-generated work, we will consider that a violation of our Copyright & Plagiarism Policy and it will be subject to the same consequences. That is, it will be rejected as ineligible for an award or, if it has been selected for an award and is later determined to be AI-generated, the award will be taken back or canceled.
It is highly encouraged that all artists and writers document their creative process. In the event of a concern over a work’s originality, the ability to provide the Scholastic Awards with documentation of your creative process is hugely beneficial.
As part of the entry process, you will be asked to indicate whether and how you’ve used AI-technologies during the creation of your work. If you’ve used it in accordance with our policy, this will NOT influence your eligibility or chances of winning.
Examples of permissible uses of AI-technology (permissible means that it is allowed):
- Using AI-powered tools to produce ideas, prompts, or suggestions early in the creative process
- Using AI-powered search functions for research purposes
- Using applications and software in which AI-powered features are embedded (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Procreate) to edit or enhance an original work
Examples of impermissible uses of AI-technology (impermissible means that it that violates the Scholastic Awards’ originality terms):
- Providing input such as datasets or text prompts to an AI-tool that automatically generates an image or piece of writing as the final product
- Any work for which the artist or writer is unable to demonstrate and articulate their creative decision-making process
Questions to ask yourself if you’re unsure:
- Who made the key artistic and creative decisions—a human, or a machine? Is this my own unique voice and vision?
- Did I apply artistic skills and techniques, and can I articulate them if asked?
- Can I provide the sources for any works cited?
- What could I show as evidence if there are concerns about my work’s originality?
- How does my work compare to something created without the use of technology?
- Would I feel that I am being truthful if my work is recognized for its originality?
Creating Your Account
If you have updates to your profile, including name or address changes, please make those as soon as possible. Changes made to your profile after the entry deadline may not be reflected in awards you may win, but the sooner you make the changes, the more likely it is that we will be able to include them.
If you forget your password, click on the “Forgot Password” link on the login page.
The account login is always an email address. If your primary email address does not allow you to retrieve your password, please contact us for assistance.
We strongly encourage all educators to create a Scholastic Art & Writing Awards account, though they are not required to do so. Educators with accounts have the ability to edit, view, and monitor the progress of their participants online.
We also use educator accounts to distribute materials, such as medals, to the educators of National Medalists.
Educators of National Medalists will not be able to reserve National Ceremony tickets or receive their educator award if they do not have an account.
For guidance on creating and navigating an educator account, view our walkthrough video series.
Teen accounts are assigned to a regional program based on their school zip code. Teens who are homeschooled or attend a virtual school are assigned to a regional program based on their home zip code. Teens are never assigned to a regional program based on the zip code of their Other Educational Program.
Educator accounts are assigned to a regional program based on the zip code of the organization where they teach (either the school or the Other Educational Program listed in their account). Homeschool and virtual school teachers will be assigned to a regional program based on their home zip code.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are divided into regional programs run by local partners—such as museums or universities. These regional partners handle the Awards in a specific area. They collect entry fees, recruit jurors, run judging, and some even put on ceremonies and exhibitions! We couldn’t run the Scholastic Awards without them.
When you create your account, you are automatically put into two regions: one for art and one for writing. You can see what regions you’re in on the homepage of your account or by using our Region Locator tool.
Please contact us to request to have your school added to our system. Our team will review your request, which will take around five business days to complete. During peak times, it may take longer to process your school request. You will receive an email when your request has been accepted. Do not wait until the deadline to make this request, as we may not be able to complete your request before the deadline has passed.
Teens enrolled in online, virtual schools, or other distance learning programs should add the school to their profile just as they would add any other school. If your primary school is a distance learning program, you will be assigned a region based on your home zip code instead of your school zip code. We want you to be recognized first in your local community.
For more information on selecting your school, view our walkthrough video on Creating a Teen Account.
Teens are required to create an account linking their day school and will be able to add one or more out-of-school programs as an Other Educational Program (OEP) when entering works. The Awards are not in a position to determine what constitutes an OEP because many of the educational spaces in which teens are creating work outside of school are not easily defined.
In our exhibitions, publications, and notifications, we focus on highlighting teens’ demographic information (grade, school’s city, and school’s state) along with their school’s name. OEP names will not be listed, but educators from the OEP can be listed if that is what the teen has requested.
For more guidance on selecting your OEP and educators, view our walkthrough videos on Uploading Art Work and Uploading Writing Work.
The Awards will email you important information regarding entry deadlines, award notifications, and additional opportunities. Be sure to enter an email address you check frequently. It might be helpful to use a personal email address, not a school email address, especially if you are graduating soon.
To create your account, you’ll need:
- Your Name
- Date of Birth
- Your Grade
- School Name
- A Valid Email Address
To complete your profile, we’ll ask for:
- Phone Number
- Parent/Guardian Name and Email
We’ll also ask for some additional information, but those fields are not required.
To learn more, view our walkthrough video on Creating a Teen Account.
To participate in the Awards, you must:
- Create an account by visiting portal.artandwriting.org.
- Pick a category for your art or writing.
- Upload your work.
- Complete payment or fee waiver.
Guidelines and deadlines vary by region. To find your region’s deadline, visit the My Region page. You may have a different deadline for art and writing entries.
For additional instructions, visit the How to Enter page and view our walkthrough video series on Navigating Your Scholastic Awards Account.
Only teens residing in the United States, U.S. territories or military bases, or Canada may enter the Awards.
Boarding Schools: Teens attending a boarding school located in the United States, U.S. territories or military bases, or Canada will be automatically assigned to a regional program based on the location of their school.
Virtual Schools: Teens must reside in the United States, U.S. territories or military bases, or Canada to enter the Awards when enrolled in a virtual school. Teens will need a home address in order to apply to a regional program.
Other Educational Programs: Teens residing outside of the United States, U.S. territories or military bases, or Canada, are not eligible for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, even if they attend an Other Educational Program in the United States. Other Educational Programs include summer programs, after-school clubs or lessons, private tutoring, pre-college programs, and portfolio review courses.
To participate in the Awards, you must be a teen in grades 7–12, age 13 and up, and residing in the United States, U.S. territories or military bases, or Canada.
Regional Awards
Regional scholarship opportunities vary. Check your region’s webpage to learn about potential scholarships or award opportunities.
In addition to regional scholarship opportunities, teens in grades 7–11 who receive a Gold or Silver Key may be eligible for a Scholastic Awards Summer (SAS) Scholarship to attend an art or writing program over the summer. Go to our Summer Scholarships page for more information.
Gold Key works are also automatically considered for National Medals and sponsored scholarships.
Gold Key works automatically advance to national judging. National jurors review Gold Key works from across the country.
Review our calendar for information on announcement dates.
All recipients of regional awards (Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions, and American Vioces & Visions Nominees) can download a digital certificate and an official Letter of Awards through their online account. Distribution of additional materials varies depending on your region. Visit your local program’s webpage to learn more.
Regional programs determine which works are included in their exhibitions and publications. Please contact your regional program for more information.
Yes! Your Scholastic Art & Writing Award is an achievement, and many colleges will take your Award into consideration when determining admissions and scholarships. Be sure to mention it on your college application or resume.
Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention, American Visions Nominee, and American Voices Nominee.
To check when regional award recipients will be announced, review our calendar page. Some regions announce their winners earlier, so please check with your local regional partners. To find your local regional partner, visit the My Region page.
National Awards
National Medalists receive certificates and medals and are considered for national exhibition, publication, and scholarship opportunities. Gold Medalists will be invited to the National Ceremony in New York City at Carnegie Hall in June. Review our calendar for information on program dates.
National awards include Gold Medal, Silver Medal, Gold Medal Portfolio, Silver Medal Portfolio, Honorable Mention Portfolio, American Voices & Visions Award, the Best-in-Grade Award, The Flaunt-It Award, The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon, and the New York Life Award.
Review our calendar for information on announcement dates.
Payment
Educators can indicate they would like an entry’s fee waived on the payment page of their portal account. We recommend that educators make sure their students are aware of the easy fee waiver option, so they can make the determination for themselves.
When teens are able to pay, they are encouraged to do so. Nominal entry fees help a national community of creative teens participate in this program. The Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and its Affiliate Partners. Entry fees support essential operational costs.
Fee waivers are made possible, in part, by BLICK Art Materials.
Some policies may vary by region; visit the My Region page to find your region.
For more guidance on entry fees and fee waivers, view our Teen and Educator walkthrough videos on submitting payment.
If the entry fee is a barrier to your participation in the Awards, simply select the “fee waiver” option when entering your work in the online portal. Your entry will then be marked as paid.
Fee waivers are made possible, in part, by BLICK Art Materials.
Some policies may vary by region; visit the My Region page to find your region.
For more information on entry fees and fee waivers, view our Teen and Educator walkthrough videos on submitting payment.
Entry fees are $10.00 per individual entry and $30.00 per portfolio entry.
If the entry fee is a barrier to your participation in the Awards, simply select the “fee waiver” option when entering your work in the online portal. If you have received instructions from your Affiliate about specific regional fee waiver protocols, please follow them.
If you are able to pay—please do! Your nominal entry fee helps a national community of creative teens participate in this program.
The Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and its Affiliate Partners. Entry fees support essential operational costs.
Fee waivers are made possible, in part, by BLICK Art Materials.
For more guidance on how to complete entry fees, view our Teen and Educator walkthrough videos on submitting payment.
Scholarships
Scholastic Awards Summer (SAS) scholarships are need- and merit-based tuition scholarships for teens in grades 7–11 who received a Gold or Silver Key.
Teens do not apply for specific summer programs; instead, they apply for a SAS Scholarship and we work with our partners to place students into a program that will work best based on their availability, location, and interests.
Not all teens who apply will receive a SAS Scholarship, so we encourage participants to also apply to other programs and opportunities when making their summer plans.
Go to our Summer Scholarships page for more information.
Portfolios are judged without knowledge of the participant’s gender, age, or hometown by artists and industry professionals. The top-ranking portfolios are then presented to a scholarship committee, which awards sixteen $12,500 Gold Medal Portfolio scholarships (eight writing and eight art). Additional $2,000 scholarships are given to students earning Silver Medal Portfolios.
The committee consists of Alliance staff, board members, and national partners. The committee will review the personal statements that were submitted in addition to the six works. They consider a number of factors that combine the recognition of talent and the representation of diverse mediums, viewpoints, and backgrounds of Award recipients when selecting scholarship recipients.
Seniors can apply for portfolio scholarships through their online dashboard. On the entry page of their account, there is an option to create a individual entry or a portfolio entry. All completed portfolio entries are automatically considered for scholarship. There are no further steps required.
Portfolio scholarships are for graduating seniors only.
The process for applying for sponsored scholarships is the same as for regular entries. In the participant’s account, there is a step in the work entry process titled Cash Awards. Here, the participant can click a checkbox indicating which scholarship they want their work to be considered for and enter a personal statement on why they are applying (50 words minimum). The entry deadline for scholarships is the same as the deadline in your region.
For more guidance on applying for sponsored scholarships, view our walkthrough videos on Uploading Artwork and Uploading Writing Work.
The sponsored scholarships are awards that highlight work that aligns with certain themes or content. Review our scholarship page for more information.
Exhibitions and Publications
A selection of National Medalist works will be included in the Awards’ publications of teen art and teen writing. Participants are notified when their work is published and will receive a copy of the publication in which their work appears.
If your work receives a National Medal and you do not want it to be displayed in our gallery or in publications, please contact us and mention the title and category of your work.
A selection of works by National Medalists will be included in the National Exhibition in New York City. The exhibition includes works that received an American Voices & Visions Award, Gold Medal Portfolio Award, Silver Medal Portfolio Award, Gold Medal Award, and/or sponsored scholarship awards. We can’t exhibit works that are oversized or that are shipped from an international address. Due to space limitations, we are not able to exhibit the works of all Medalists.
Regional Exhibitions: Please contact your Affiliate Partner regarding art return from a regional exhibition.
National Exhibition: National Medal works may be requested and held by the national office of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers for up to two years for additional exhibition possibilities. The work will be returned to the participant’s home address, so please notify us if you move.
Note that if the Alliance is not able to return physical works to a participant for any reason, we may hold the work up to three years from the date of the national award notification. If the work is not retrieved, we may continue to store the physical work, donate it, or destroy it.
The Alliance is dedicated to showcasing student work and raising awareness about the incredible talent, originality, and voice of teens through traveling exhibitions and special events. One way we accomplish this is through an extensive calendar of events, which includes the National Exhibition in New York City and the National Touring Exhibition (locations vary)
Works that are selected may be held for up to two years. This takes into account the timing of these events and the delivery and receipt of the work, as well as its photographing and/or framing.
Portfolios
Portfolios are judged without knowledge of the participant’s gender, age, or hometown by artists and industry professionals. The top-ranking portfolios are then presented to a scholarship committee, which awards sixteen $12,500 Gold Medal Portfolio scholarships (eight writing and eight art). Additional $2,000 scholarships are given to students earning Silver Medal Portfolios.
The committee consists of Alliance staff, board members, and national partners. The committee will review the personal statements that were submitted in addition to the six works. They consider a number of factors that combine the recognition of talent and the representation of diverse mediums, viewpoints, and backgrounds of Award recipients when selecting scholarship recipients.
Portfolio entries consist of six works that can come from one category or any combination of multiple categories. Art portfolios may only contain works from art categories, and writing portfolios are limited to writing categories. Teens may enter two art portfolios and two writing portfolios, but all works must be unique. The same work cannot be entered in multiple portfolios.
Yes, teens may enter a work to both portfolio and individual categories. To enter a work that is part of a portfolio, you will need to create a separate individual entry for the piece. The Portfolio category is only available to participants in grade 12.
Teens should enter works that best exemplify originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. These works should demonstrate versatility, diversity in techniques and styles, and a developed, cohesive voice or vision.
Please read the category descriptions for specific portfolio entry criteria. For more guidance and advice from jurors, view our Art Portfolio Panel and Writing Portfolio Panel.
Seniors can apply for portfolio scholarships through their online dashboard. On the entry page of their account, there is an option to create a individual entry or a portfolio entry. All completed portfolio entries are automatically considered for scholarship. There are no further steps required.
Portfolio scholarships are for graduating seniors only.