Scholastic Art Awards

logo with a yellow circle and a key with wings inside

Welcome to the Mid Carolina Region Scholastic Art Awards  

The nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens is open to students in Grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up).  Students can apply in 28 categories of Art and Writing.  The Mid Carolina Region will be accepting student entries through December 13, 2024.   For additional information and to enter, please visit Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 

Scholastic also offers numerous Scholarship opportunities for our Creative Teens.  Your work could be considered for national scholarships ranging from $500 to $12,500. Keep in mind that some require a written statement to go along with the work and/or that your art or writing explores a particular theme. 

mint museum logo

This year’s Scholastic Gold and Silver Key Regional Winners Exhibition will be March 1 – April 6, 2025 at the Mint Museum Uptown. 

The College of Arts + Architecture is honored to be an Affiliate Partner for the Mid-Carolina Region of the Scholastic Art Awards, serving students and educators from central North Carolina and South Carolina. Counties in our region include Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Wilkes, Yadkin, and York.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Over the years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have grown to become the longest-running, most prestigious program for creative teens in the U.S. and the nation’s largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers. A noteworthy roster of past winners includes Andy Warhol, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, and John Updike.

The process begins across the country as artists and writers in grades 7-12 submit work in 28 categories of art and writing to a network of regional affiliates who present award ceremonies and exhibits for selected works on a local level. Gold Keys, the highest awards, are then submitted from each region for national adjudication by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. National Gold and Silver Medal-winning students and their teachers receive national recognition and are invited to attend the exhibit in New York and award ceremony at Carnegie Hall.

Students across America submitted nearly 340,000 original works last year. The top art and writing at the regional level were moved onto the national stage, where more than 2,700 students earned national medals. Through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.

Selection Process

Submissions of artwork to the Mid-Carolina Region Scholastic Awards are evaluated in the categories of architecture & industrial design, ceramics & glass, comic art, design, digital art, drawing & illustration, editorial cartoon, expanded projects, fashion, film & animation, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and art portfolio. The entries are classified according to media, then sorted by grade level (middle school and high school).

Panels of regional jurors, made up of museum curators, college and university professors, professional artists, and veteran K-12 art teachers, evaluate the work in a blind judging process. Jurors are chosen for their expertise in each category and evaluate work based on originality, technical skill, and personal vision.

Digital images of Gold Key artworks are sent for adjudication at the national level by a second set of panelists, and national Gold Medal artworks are displayed in New York at the national exhibitions.

Congratulations to our past Scholastic Art winners!

Questions?

Contact Wendy Fishman, UNC Charlotte’s College of Arts + Architecture’s Director of Collaborative Works.

Sponsors

UNC Charlotte would like to thank the following organizations for their generous support of the Mid-Carolina Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. We couldn’t do it without you!