This edited post originally appeared on Scholastic’s On Our Minds blog. By Morgan Baden.
This time of year is always exciting because we start to hear from teenagers across the country as they anxiously await news about the Scholastic Awards. Today, the 2013 National Award winners were officially announced!
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the country’s longest-running and most prestigious award and recognition program for creative teenagers, and this year is its 90th anniversary! In addition to 1,600+ of the most talented and ambitious students in grades 7-12 chosen to receive national medals, 15 high school seniors were honored with a Portfolio Gold Award, the highest level of achievement in the Scholastic Awards — which, apart from providing much-deserved recognition to these talented teens, also provides them with a $10,000 cash scholarship!
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2013 Portfolio Gold Medals: Luisa Banchoff, Arlington, VA; Leah Bydalek, Houston, TX; Christian Caraballo, Jersey City, NJ; Janay Alexandrea Crane, Walkerton, IN; Anthony DeSantis, Greenville, SC; Greg Dugdale, Carmel, IN; Isabella Giovannini, New York, NY; Katiuscia Gregoire, Miami Beach, FL; Patrick Hulse, Fairfax Station, VA; Kathleen Radigan, North Kingstown, RI; Alex Reynolds, Solon, OH; Samuel Root, Quarryville, PA; Emilie Sommers, Albuquerque, NM; Samantha West, Boise, ID; and Anna Xie, Boston, MA. A complete list of winners is available here.
A big thank you to all the professionals who participated in judging this year, at all levels of the Awards! This year’s list of jurors included Edwidge Danticat, Myla Goldberg, Kurt Andersen, Althea Harper, Red Grooms, and Andres Serrano! Check out what some of them had to say about their experience judging for the Awards here!
So what’s next for these talented teens?
The National Celebration each year is always an amazing time, but this year, on the 90th anniversary, it promises to be even more exciting! It will kick off in New York City on May 31 when the LED super signs at 1515 Broadway in Times Square will feature the Scholastic Awards throughout the day. That evening, national winners will be honored onstage at a special ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall. In addition, for the first time ever, in celebration of the 90th Anniversary, the ceremony will be webcast live from Carnegie Hall. (We’ll have more information to share about that soon!)
And meanwhile, select Award-winning art and writing will be exhibited at Parsons The New School for Design and the Pratt Manhattan Gallery through June 15, 2013. (The exhibition and accompanying public programs are co-sponsored by the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons The New School for Design.)
Congratulations to all the winners, but also to all the participants — submitting personal art and writing takes a huge amount of bravery! Find out more about the Awards on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.