In partnership with National Scholastic Art and Writing Alliance, The Leesburg Center for the Arts and Leesburg High School Art Department invite emerging student artists to apply for the Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Competition and Awards, the nation’s leading source for recognizing the achievements of creative teens.
Students ages 13 and up and living in Lake, Sumter, Marion or Citrus counties are invited to submit original work in any of the Awards’ 28 art and writing categories, including drawing and illustration, photography, flash fiction, poetry, film and animation, and journalism. All works are selected for awards based on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal vision or voice and without knowledge of the student’s name, gender, age, ethnicity, or hometown. The submission will be judged first on a regional level by Northwest Central Florida Region Affiliate of the Alliance, and then nationally by an impressive panel of industry experts. Annually, the Alliance partners with individuals, foundations, and corporations to offer scholarship opportunities for students in certain categories or addressing particular themes.
“We are very excited to partner with the National Scholastic Art and Writing Alliance to organize and host the Regional Scholastic Art Competition,” said Leesburg Center for the Arts Director Maria Stefanovic. “This is a great opportunity for emerging student artists from Lake, Sumter, Citrus and Marion Counties to exhibit their work or portfolio at a regional level and compete for the gold key and scholarship dollars.”
The 2022 scholarships and cash awards offer a number of opportunities ranging from $250-$10,000 and include:
- Best-in-Grade Award: Underwritten by Bloomberg Philanthropies, this award provides 24 students (two artists and two writers per grades 7–12) with $500 scholarships, and their educators with $250 awards.
- Civic Expression Award: Underwritten by the Maurice R. Robinson Fund, this award provides $1,000 scholarships to six students whose art or writing explores political or social issues, and their educators, with $250 awards.
- New York Life Award: Underwritten by the New York Life Foundation, this award recognizes six students on the national level with $1,000 scholarships for their work exploring personal grief, loss, and bereavement, and their educators with $250 awards. Additional $500 scholarships are also available for two students from each of the following states: Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Tennessee.
- One Earth Award: Underwritten by the Salamander Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, this award provides four students with $1,000 scholarships for creative works that address the pressing issue of human-caused climate change, and their educators with $250 awards.
- Portfolio Awards: The program’s highest national honor recognizes 16 high school seniors each with a $10,000 scholarship for their writing or art portfolio, and their educators with $1,000 awards; 30 Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolio recipients each receive $1,000 scholarships, and their educators receive $250 awards.
- The Alliance/ACT-SO Journey Award: In partnership with the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), this award provides full-tuition scholarships to attend summer art or writing programs for up to ten ACT-SO scholars, who also receive Gold or Silver Keys at the regional level of the Awards.
- The Herblock Award for Editorial Cartoon: Underwritten by The Herb Block Foundation, this award provides three young artists with $1,000 scholarships for visual art that offers commentary or criticism on current events, social events, or political topics, and their educators with $250 awards.
To apply today, visit https://www.artandwriting.org/regions/FL001A. Individual submissions are $7 each and portfolio submissions are $25 each. The deadline to submit artwork is Dec. 16, 2021.
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About the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and are made possible through the generosity of Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, New York Life Foundation, Command Companies, The New York Times, The Herb Block Foundation, Blick Art Materials & Utrecht Art Supplies, Quad, AppleTV+, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Salamander Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, Salesforce, Garcia Family Foundation, Lindenmeyr Book Publishing Papers, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Golden Artist Colors, and numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Hearthland Foundation, Poetry Foundation, and Academy of American Poets. For more information about the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, visit www.artandwriting.org.
About Leesburg Center for the Arts
Leesburg Center for the Arts (CFA) is a 501c3 arts organization based in Leesburg, Lake County, Florida. CFA strives to provide art education, awareness and opportunities to artists, and creatives in the North Lake County area, ENRICH and INSPIRE our community with art and culture and BE the sense of place for local artists, and creatives to gather, create and collaborate. For more information, visit www.leesburgarts.com.
