Regional Worthy Gold Keys

By Annie Tian

April 24, 2025

This January, students at Jericho Middle School moved on from competing regionally to nationally in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is a recognition program founded in 1923. Every year, it hosts a nationwide competition in a variety of categories in both art and literature. These include not only common topics such as poetry, short stories, and traditional art, but also jewelry creation, fashion, architectural design, journalism, and dramatic scripts. 

The competition is eligible for students in grades seven through twelve. The number of submissions per student is unlimited, but each submission costs 10 dollars per individual entry and 30 dollars per portfolio. A fee waiver option is also available for those unable to cover these costs. 

Participants can win a variety of rewards, which include gold keys, silver keys, and honorable mentions. Entries are judged by a panel of jurors from a pool of other participants in the same region. If a student wins a gold key, they are allowed to move on to compete nationally. If they then win nationals, their submission is published on the official website. Typically, the submission deadline is in December. Regional results are usually released in January and the national results are released in March. 

The Scholastic competition plays a crucial role in many young adults’ lives and careers since it allows students to explore their interests and provides a chance for them to express themselves. As mentioned before, Scholastic includes numerous niche categories that many other competitions may not have. Even among the other competitions that do include these, Scholastic’s name and reputation can make a much larger impact on the future of those who win an award in this competition. This allows students to spend their time not only doing what they enjoy, but also being productive. All of these points lead to it being ultimately beneficial in the long term, as it allows them to further their talents while also being notable in future applications.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition has survived for over a century and likely will keep on doing so. It is a known and reputable contest that will continue to allow countless students all across the globe to delve into and develop personal interests. 

However, it is also important to keep in mind that writing can often be a very subjective topic. Elements in writing that one person values highly may not be viewed with the same appeal in others’ eyes, especially when it comes to writing competitions with trained judges who have to read through thousands of entries. They may be looking out for certain aspects that one’s writing simply doesn’t fulfill even if it's written well. This, however, does not mean one’s writing is not good. As Scarlet He, an eighth grade winner, states, “I thought my short story and memoir would win, but they didn’t. Meanwhile, the one I wrote from three years ago won.”

In conclusion, the Scholastic Writing and Art Awards competition is a significant part of many student’s lives and careers and can be a way for students to express or explore their passions. As Grace Zhang, another eighth grade winner, says, “It is a really interesting and useful experience for those that want to competitively showcase their work.”