When the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards began in 1923, the works were adjudicated based on three criteria: originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision. While ‘yes’ and ‘no’ paddles used to be a part of the process, jurors today have a slightly different experience, though those three criteria remain. The Scholastic Awards also practice blind adjudication, where no identifying information of the student is given to ensure fair and unbiased decisions. The freedom of expression, and the freedom to explore any and all topics, also remains at the core of the Awards. There are no pre-defined prompts and no work is ever disqualified from the Scholastic Awards because of the nature of its content.

Next week, luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of who are past Awards recipients, will join us to jury the 2015 Gold Key works and we can’t wait to keep you updated! For now, join us in a look back at the adjudication process and take a look at our timeline for a look at past jurors.