Do you have a strong point of view about political or social matters? Are you really interested in what’s happening in the news and want to make your voice heard? Well, great news! To encourage students to use their voices, the Scholastic Awards offers two new and exciting opportunities!

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is proud to announce a new category: Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation.  This exciting category celebrates the legacy of four-time Pulitzer Prize–winning political cartoonist Herb Block and his remarkable contribution to American history and free expression, and encourages teens to express their views through image and word.

The Editorial Cartoon category includes single panel drawings with captions, sequential comic art, illustrations, digitally created drawings, or animated films with a political theme or message. Three $1,000 cash scholarships will be awarded to students who earn National Medals in Editorial Cartoon in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

We are also honored to announce a new partnership between the Scholastic Awards and The Learning Network, a teaching and learning blog from The New York Times. Students can submit editorial cartoons to The Learning Network between September 17 and October 20. Winning works will be selected by Times staff and published on The Learning Network’s blog.

About The Herb Block Foundation:  The Foundation is committed to defending basic freedoms, combating all forms of discrimination and prejudice, and improving the condition of the poor and underprivileged. In addition, the Foundation promotes editorial cartooning and awards scholarships based on financial need to individuals seeking to attend community colleges in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.