Help the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Raise $50K by 12/2!

by The Alliance //

Crowdrise_Eblast

For the first time, we are launching an online annual appeal to raise support for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards through Crowdrise. We are setting a big $50,000 goal and need your help to reach the top by December 2! In October, we called out to alumni and friends of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards to submit a short video sharing: what did your Scholastic Art & Writing Award mean to you as a teenager? or, why are the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards important to teenagers?


We received a HUGE response, some of which are touching, funny, quirky and serious. These videos testify to the impact of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and the vital role the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers plays in advocating for creative teenagers and alumni every day. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and staffs a robust team of sixteen, two of whom are alumni of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards!

Throughout the month of November, we will share new videos from alumni and special friends on our social media every week. We cannot wait to share all of these great, personal videos with you! If you are an alum of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, we’d love to hear from you. Be sure to tag your video with #myAWaward and share our Crowdrise campaign with friends, colleagues, educators, and family. You can even create your own fundraising page on Crowdrise and rally for us like alums Jeanette Anderson; Iviva Olenick; Antonio Pulgarin and Chelsea Borksack!

Together, we know that reaching our goal of $50,000 by December 2 is possible! Why? Because we’re motivated by success. We:

  • Increased total Scholastic Art & Writing Awards submissions to 255,000, an increase of 15% over 2013!
  • Granted access to almost $10 million in scholarships at over 60 schools, institutions and universities to graduating seniors through our Scholarship Provider Network;
  • Increased scholarships for graduating high school seniors, including 16 $10,000 Portfolio Gold Medals, 28 Portfolio Silver Medals with Distinction as well as over 100 Silver Medal Portfolios.
  • Honored over 800 National Medalists at Carnegie Hall and webcast the National Ceremony for students, families and educators who streamed it live from their homes, libraries, schools and community spaces;
  • Continued to expand high-quality programming through the Alliance Summer Arts Program, the Art.Write.Now Tour, the Art.Write.Now Pop UP! flash residency for alumni, the National Student Poets Program (a partnership between the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alliance), and Boys.Write.Now and Start.Write.Now, our summer campaigns to keep students writing and creating over the summer months.

We need your help in continuing this great programming for years to come. Here’s how:

1.  Donate to our online campaign directly and share a link with colleagues, friends, and family!  Here is some convenient language to copy and paste or adapt for your social media accounts:

  • Great young artists and writers are worth it! Help us raise $50K by 12/2. I’m in! http://bit.ly/1zmjPph
  • Let’s do this! Help the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards present more great programming for teens http://bit.ly/1zmjPph
  • #myAWaward meant the WORLD to me. Help the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards raise $50K by December 2 http://bit.ly/1zmjPph
  • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards alum Richard Avedon said winning a Scholastic Award was the “defining moment of my life.” Donate! http://bit.ly/1zmjPph
  • #myAWaward still surprises me. Listen to Scholastic Art & Writing Awards alums share their stories and impact http://bit.ly/1zmjPph

2. Lead a team of fundraisers like rock star alums Jeanette Anderson, Iviva Olenick, Antonio Pulgarin and Chelsea Borsack! Visit our Crowdrise Page and click “FUNDRAISE FOR THIS CAMPAIGN.” Make sure to upload a fun photo of yourself, especially if you are an alum and still have your Gold Key pin! Set a team goal to achieve with family, friends, colleagues and educators. Stay tuned for the Alliance blog post next Monday, 50 Ways to Reach $50K for fun ideas to rally your network together!

3. Post about the impact of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards on your life and tag it with #myAWaward.

We are so excited to share in this campaign with you. We hope you will join in, share your stories about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and donate!

Don’t forget to like and follow our Facebook page for weekly alumni videos, gems from our archive, and inspiring student work.