The Scholastic Awards were delighted to welcome hundreds of students, educators, and their families to New York City in June to attend National Events. Every year, we plan activities, exhibitions of student art and writing, a recognition ceremony, and a festive party to celebrate the accomplishments of our nation’s most creative youth.

The 2016 National Events kicked off on June 1 with registration for our students and educators. We provided live music, a selfie station, and Gold Medals while our guests came prepared with smiles, excitement, and creativity!

Later that night we setup decorations, snacks, and maker stations for our popular Maker Prom! Now in its third year, Maker Prom has become one of the highlights of National Events. We welcomed back organizations like Savannah College of Art and Design, the New York Hall of Science, Building Beats, Maker State, littleBits, and Parsons School for Design at The New School who gave students the tools to make their own keychains, design a tote, make their own music, and so much more! Level Up Media Arts, Institute of Play, and Open Source Gallery were also on hand with sonic portraits and other cool activities while the Scholastic Awards brought a henna tattoo station and button makers to the party! Music was provided by DJ P.U.D.G.E.

We held our National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall on June 2. Hundreds of students, educators, and their guests filled the hall and were entertained by special guests Alec Baldwin, Billy Collins, Tim Gunn, Sonia Manzano, Hunter March, and Alumni Achievement Award recipient Ken Burns. Check out our website to watch a video of the entire Ceremony!

After the Ceremony, students were treated to a special surprise: The Empire State Building was lit in gold to honor the 2016 National Medalists!

The final event was the Student Showcase at the Art.Write.Now. 2016 National Exhibition. The National Exhibition was held at Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons School of Design at The New School and at Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery and more than 900 pieces of art and writing were on display for two weeks. On Friday, June 3, students participated in open mic sessions, Gold Medal Portfolio talks, film screenings, art-making workshops, and a panel with the 2015 National Student Poets in the galleries housing their Gold Medal works.

National Events was a whirlwind of exciting moments, amazing events, and happy faces. The Scholastic Awards staff had a great time hosting our students and educators. We can’t wait to do it again next year!