Next year marks the centenary anniversary of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. That means we’ve been empowering creative teens and celebrating youth voices for one hundred years—and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon! In honor of this monumental achievement, we’ve produced The Great Encouragement: 100 Years of the Scholastic Awards to share not only the story of the Awards but of the community of people—teachers, principals, family members, sponsors, partners, judges, curators, editors, and more—who have come together over the century to ensure that this one-of-a-kind program endures.

The Great Encouragement is a chronicle of the first one hundred years of the Scholastic Awards, from its inception as a local writing contest for high schoolers in Pennsylvania to its current status as the largest and most prestigious competition for creative youth across the country. Over the course of the past 100 years, the Awards have reached classrooms around the world: from Canada to South Korea to the U.K. to China. Hundreds of publications have featured works by Awards winners and many more exhibitions have showcased their creativity for all to see. Alumni of the Awards have gone on to do great things in the worlds of art and literature, and also in science, business, education, and more. The reach and impact of the Awards are ever-expanding, but the core has remained unchanged for a century: To recognize, celebrate, and encourage young people who express themselves and explore their place in the world in creative, bold, and new ways.

View or download a digital copy of The Great Encouragement: 100 Years of the Scholastic Awards.