Sadly, one in seven students experiences the death of a loved one by age 20. Finding the right people to talk to and expressing themselves freely can be enormously helpful to students. The New York Life Award gives grieving students a unique outlet for learning to cope with the death of a loved one. We are honored to be able to continue this very special opportunity through the 2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

As in previous years, the New York Life Foundation will provide 6 students with $1,000 awards and national recognition for their original works that express their personal experiences with grief and loss in any of our 25 categories. The deadline for submitting works varies by region from December 15 to January 15. For a collection of New York Life Award-winning art and writing from the 2011 and 2012 Scholastic Awards, visit our online galleries.

To learn how to apply for this special Award, click here.

Dealing with loss is hard,  but there are many resources to help students find comfort and build coping skills including HelloGrief.org, an online community developed by Comfort Zone Camp to support kids living with grief. HelloGrief.org addresses grief head-on, with real people sharing real-life opinions and stories, and offer a peer-to-peer resource to connect with other teens and qualified grief counselors.

Join/visit the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards’ Group on the Hello Grief site.