The 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards opened on September 13! Check out this brief overview of the important changes you need to be aware of before submitting your work:
Understanding Copyright & Plagiarism
We’ve updated our Copyright & Plagiarism guidelines to make them easier to understand. Be sure to read through them before submitting your work! While we all are influenced by the works of others, it’s important that the work you submit to the Scholastic Awards is an original piece created by you. You have a unique voice and vision, and we want to see the world through your eyes!
Category Changes
We’ve made a few changes to the categories this year. Be sure to review all the information for your category to make sure your piece meets the requirements. A brief overview of the updates is below–be sure to click through to each category description to read the full requirements!
Art Category Updates
Video Games will now be Video Game Design. The category description, requirements, and special instructions remain the same.
Ceramics & Glass: Handcrafted objects made from ceramics or glass. Anything made exclusively out of ceramics and/or glass belongs in this category.
Design: Art created for commercial or applied purposes. This now includes graphic design work that has a defined use such as advertising or communications.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional art objects created by carving, casting, or other shaping techniques that can have interactive qualities. Anything made exclusively out of ceramics and/or glass belongs in the Ceramics & Glass category.
Writing Category Updates
Dramatic Script: If the full script exceeds 3,000 words, you must provide a 250-word summary and attach a PDF of the full script.
The minimum word requirements for many writing categories have changed. We’ve provided a quick overview of the new word counts in the table below.
| CATEGORY | MINIMUM | MAXIMUM |
| Critical Essay | 500 | 3,000 |
| Dramatic Script | 1,000 | 3,000 |
| Flash Fiction | n/a | 1,000 |
| Humor | 500 | 3,000 |
| Journalism | 500 | 3,000 |
| Novel Writing | Provide a 250-word summary, an excerpt up to 3,000 words, and attach a PDF of the full novel | |
| Personal Essay & Memoir | 500 | 3,000 |
| Poetry | n/a | 20–200 lines |
| Science Fiction & Fantasy | 500 | 3,000 |
| Short Story | 1,000 | 3,000 |
New and Notable Scholarships
We have a new scholarship opportunity for students!
Through a partnership with the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, we will offer a new award for students whose original art or writing demonstrates civic knowledge and skills. Six recipients will receive $1,000 scholarships and will be artists or writers whose work highlights and demonstrates awareness of American civic rights and responsibilities.
Here are our returning scholarship opportunities:
New York Life Award, sponsored by New York Life Foundation
The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon, sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation
Best-in-Grade Award, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies
Changes to the Submission Process
Tagging Your Work
We’ve added a tagging system so that students can tag their works! Check out our FAQ for a detailed explanation of how to tag your works.
Adding Work Sources
If you check the box indicating that your work has outside sources, it is now mandatory for you to list your sources.
Note How You Pay on Your Submission Form
You must check a box at the bottom of your submission form to note whether your submission was paid by check, online, or with a fee waiver.
Now you’re all caught up! On September 13, all you have to do is create your account, upload your work, and send in your submission forms and payment or fee waiver. We can’t wait to see what you submit!