Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: The Complete Student Guide
Published · Subject: Writing & Art · Grades: 7–12
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the oldest and largest creative-achievement recognition program for students in the United States, running continuously since 1923. Each year roughly 350,000 works are submitted; around 100,000 receive regional recognition; and national recognition goes to a much smaller cohort. The credential matters in ways that few high school awards do — both in the college admissions world and in the actual literary and artistic communities students may enter later.
Who can enter
Students in grades 7–12 currently enrolled in a school in the United States, US territories, or internationally through participating schools are eligible. The program divides participants into two grade bands: the junior division (grades 7–8) and the senior division (grades 9–12).
Writing categories
The program accepts submissions in the following writing categories:
- Poetry
- Short Story
- Personal Essay & Memoir
- Novel (senior division only; requires a minimum word count)
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Flash Fiction (very short fiction, typically under 1,000 words)
- Humor (satire and comic writing)
- Dramatic Script
- Journalism
- Writing Portfolio (a curated collection of pieces across genres; senior division only)
A student may submit to multiple categories in the same year. Each submission is evaluated separately.
How judging works
Scholastic uses a regional affiliate system. Students submit to the affiliate serving their geographic region — typically organized through a regional arts organization or school alliance. Affiliate judges (professional writers, educators, and artists recruited by the regional affiliate) evaluate all submissions in their region.
Regional recognition comes in three tiers:
- Gold Key: Top regional award. Gold Key works in writing and certain art categories are forwarded to national judging.
- Silver Key: Second tier. Silver Key is a real recognition; it is competitive and meaningful, particularly in larger regions with more entries.
- Honorable Mention: Third tier, given to notable work that did not reach Silver Key.
Regional deadlines vary by affiliate; most fall between December and January. Check your region’s affiliate page through the Scholastic Awards website for the specific deadline serving your school.
National judging
Gold Key writing works from all regions advance to national judging by a panel of professional writers and editors. National recognition comes at several levels:
- Gold Medal: The highest national honor in each writing category. A relatively small number are awarded per category each year.
- Silver Medal: Second tier of national recognition.
- American Voices Medal: Awarded by each affiliate to Gold Key portfolios and works that exemplify a distinctive creative perspective. One per region per category; forward-nominated to a separate national pool.
- National Student Poets: A separate nomination program (five students per year) for the most accomplished high school poets. Nominated from Gold Key submissions by a panel of established poets.
The Writing Portfolio
The Writing Portfolio category deserves special attention because it is the most valued credential in the program for college writing and MFA programs. A portfolio consists of a specified number of pieces across at least three genres, curated by the student to show range and depth. The portfolio is judged as a body of work rather than as individual pieces.
Students who want to build toward a strong portfolio should think of the individual-category submissions in grade 9 and 10 as building blocks: each piece that earns regional recognition is a candidate for future portfolio inclusion.
What a Gold Key means practically
In a large, competitive region (New York, California, the Mid-Atlantic), a regional Gold Key in a writing category means your work outperformed hundreds or thousands of other submissions judged by professional writers. This is a meaningful credential. A national Gold Medal means you were recognized as among the strongest student writers in the country in that category for the year.
For college applications: a national medal is significant at highly selective schools. A regional Gold Key is worth noting on an application, particularly if it is in the main creative field the student is pursuing. A Silver Key from a large region is also worth noting.
How to prepare a competitive submission
The strongest Scholastic submissions share a common quality: they read as though they could not have been written by anyone else. Generic competence — a technically correct short story with no distinctive voice or perspective — rarely wins. The judges are professional writers who read thousands of submissions and can recognize mechanical quality versus genuine creative risk.
Practical advice: submit work that you have revised substantially, work that surprises you in some way when you read it back, and work that takes a perspective or uses a form that you chose deliberately rather than by default. Do not submit the piece you are most comfortable with; submit the piece where you pushed the hardest.
About this profile: Meli Review publishes contest profiles for students and families. Category structures and judging processes described here were accurate to the best of our review at publication; verify current submission requirements with your regional affiliate and the Scholastic Awards website. See also: High school writing contests directory.