Copyright & Plagiarism
Be You! Be Original!
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards may be an awards program, but first and foremost, it’s a celebration of you: Your hard work, your unique talents, and your originality! Entering the Scholastic Awards is your chance to be taken seriously as an artist or a writer. This recognition can only be granted when the work that is evaluated is yours.
All we ask is that you be yourself! Originality is one of the three core values of the Scholastic Awards, and this means no awards can be given to work that is not your own.
There is no formula to receiving an Award. We want you to surprise us, challenge us, let us into your world. In more than 100 years, there’s only one thing we’ve never seen: You! Before entering any work to the Awards, make sure it adheres to the plagiarism and copyright guidelines below.
A Guide on Plagiarism and Copyright for Teens & Educators
Work that is entered into the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards must be original work created by the participant. By participating in the Awards, teens agree to the Scholastic Awards participation terms.
If an entered work is found to have been copied from another artist or writer, or generated by AI, the work will be disqualified from the Scholastic Awards.
Review these guidelines before entering your work.
How do I know if my work is original?
An original work is one that is new and different from what others have created. This means that you are the author of the work, and the work is not copied from someone else’s original work.
If a classroom assignment involves any copying of another artist or writer’s work, even if it’s just for the purpose of practicing and learning, please do not enter these works into the Scholastic Awards. Entries that are heavily influenced by the work of other artists, even if not directly copied, may not be considered original and should not be entered into the Awards. Work that is AI-generated is not eligible for the Awards. Please continue reading for the Scholastic Awards’ current policy on AI.
We understand that artists and writers sometimes create work that references other artists, writers, and popular culture in original and meaningful ways. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure they have permission to use a source and transform the material into their own original work.
We define transformative work as a new work that adds value, substantially changes, comments on, or gives a new expression or meaning to the source.
There is no single formula we use to determine if a work is “original enough” or “transformative enough” to submit to the Awards. If YOU feel strongly that something is original to your ideas, vision, and voice, then we encourage you to enter your work.
It might be helpful to consider: does the work I’m entering have a different meaning than the original piece? Am I expressing something unique to myself?
Here are some examples of work that we do not consider transformative:
- Changing the medium or visual style of another artist’s work without the addition of your own voice or vision. For example, rendering a photograph found online in paint or charcoal and
,leaving all other details of the photograph recognizably the same. - Changing the order of the lines in a poem or song, adding a few words to a sentence written by another author, or removing small sections of a poem without substantially changing the voice or vision of the work.
- Fan art, which we define as a painting,
). - Fan fiction, in which characters, settings, and plots from existing media are used in a way meant to imitate or extend the existing media, rather than create an original work.
- A critical essay that copies or paraphrases entire passages from another piece of writing without citing the source and without creating a new thesis.
- Cropping or resizing an image that a friend created or that you found on the internet.
- AI-generated art and writing is NOT original (read more on our AI policy below).
The scenarios listed above are only a few examples and are not meant to represent all instances of non-transformative work.
How do I cite my sources?
You may use limited portions of another’s work if you cite your source and if the final product is still an original idea.
Every entry will include a “Work Sources” section for teens to list sources that have influenced or inspired their work and creative process. Written works that take quotations from other pieces of writing must cite their sources, whether a source is protected by copyright or not.
Certain writing categories, such as Critical Essay and Journalism, will have an additional designated section for “Citations and Footnotes” in which authors should cite all their sources. Sources listed in “Citations and Footnotes” do not need to be listed a second time in “Work Sources.” Feel free to use any citation style: MLA, ALA, Chicago, etc.
There is no specific number of words or percentage of someone else’s work that is acceptable to use when entering your work to the Scholastic Awards. What is important is that your finished work is something new and different from your source.
In this ever-evolving technological landscape, it is highly encouraged that all artists and writers document their creative process—this may include saving outlines and drafts of written work, or photographing/downloading an artwork in early, unfinished, or in-process phases. 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.
If you have any doubt about whether an entry is original, we advise that you choose not to enter that work.
What is an AI-generated work? Can I use AI at all?
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards acknowledge that many artists and writers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies as a tool to engage in the making of original work, and therefore:
- The Scholastic Awards permit the use of AI technologies to aid in the artistic process during the creation of an entry, such as brainstorming or outlining.
- The Scholastic Awards do not permit and will deem ineligible any entries 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.
We strongly encourage all artists and writers document their creative process. In the event of a concern over a work’s originality, you may be asked to provide the Scholastic Awards with evidence of your individual creative process.
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. Checking “yes” to this box will not automatically disqualify your entry. However, failure to answer honestly may be grounds for disqualification.
Examples of permissible uses of AI-technology include:
- 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 AI-technology usage that violate the Scholastic Awards’ originality terms:
- Providing input such as image 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 my own 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?
Consequences of Copyright & Plagiarism Violations
If the Alliance has reason to believe that an entry violates the Participation Terms, an investigation into the entry will be opened, which could lead to disqualification. In this event, the Alliance may refuse or revoke an award, and take such other measures, including the recall or removal of all of a teen’s awards for works entered that year, as the Alliance deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
This policy is in the interest of both the participant and the Alliance, since the display or distribution of an infringing entry could result in serious consequences, including potential legal liability.
What if I find a work that was entered into the Scholastic Awards that isn’t original?
If you suspect that a work was plagiarized, please contact us. See Copyright & Plagiarism Violations to read how we determine if the work violates our participation terms.
Because of teen privacy concerns, we do not provide any information on the outcome of our investigation.
Copyright & Plagiarism Definitions
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers uses the following definitions for Copyright and Plagiarism:
Copyright is a form of legal protection prohibiting others from copying one’s creative work without permission. A copyright is an intellectual property right. Copyright law grants the creator of an original work the exclusive rights for its use and distribution.
Plagiarism is an ethical violation resulting from failure to cite sources and engaging in the act of passing someone else’s work or ideas off as one’s own. This applies even if you have only copied a part, rather than the whole, of another’s work.