2012 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition - Jurying Completed!

In partnership with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing the nation’s most talented teen artists and writers, Kendall announced jurying has been completed for entries in the 2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (West Central Michigan Region). The Awards competition, entering its 89th year, is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for student achievement in the visual and literary arts. For a listing of the West Central Michigan Region's award winners, please click on the following url: http://www.kcad.edu/art-educators/scholastic-art-awards/

Creative teens in grades 7-12 were invited to submit work in 28 categories of art and writing, including film and animation, video game design, sculpture, photography, fashion design, poetry, journalism, humor, dramatic script and science fiction. Kendall College of Art and Design, one of 115 affiliate organizations nationwide, administers The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in the West Central Michigan Region. The submissions are first judged locally with top winning works then presented to national panels of creative leaders to determine which receive the highest honors. This year, joining author Edwidge Danticat as a national juror will be curators from major museums, leading journalists, gallerists, artists and established alumnae. Past jurors have included Tony Hawk, Lesley Stahl, Wangechi Mutu, Bill Murray, Judy Blume, and Nikki Giovanni.

Fifteen graduating high school seniors will be awarded with Portfolio Gold Medals, which include a $10,000 scholarship for each winner (awards sponsored and funded by the Alliance at the national level). Additional scholarships are made available to Portfolio Silver Medalists and through sponsored awards and stipends to summer arts programs  (sponsored and funded through the Alliance). The Alliance will offer more than $270,000 in direct scholarships and awards this year. Teachers of award winners also receive recognition, and hundreds of high school senior award winners are eligible for nearly $4 million in scholarships through a network of more than 60 colleges and universities that recognize the significance of the Awards.

Since 1923, nine million students have been recognized through exhibitions and publications and have shared in more than $25 million in awards and scholarships. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has a long list of distinguished alumni who rose to the top of their creative fields since they won their awards in high school, including Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, Sue Miller, Richard Avedon, Zac Posen, Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Otterness, Sylvia Plath, John Lithgow, Ned Vizzini, Philip Pearlstein and John Baldessari. As the program prepares for its 90th anniversary in 2013, the Alliance is calling all alumni to reconnect and join in the celebration.