The Scholastic Art and Writing Competition is a national competition for high school visual art and literature. Created by Maurice R. Robinson of the Scholastic Corporation, the competition has had a rich history of winners. Artists and writers such as Sylvia Plath and Andy Warhol have all submitted to the competition early in their careers.  

The competition begins at the regional level, where students submit to compete in their respective regions, such as the Pennsylvania region. The winners of these regions receive Gold Keys, Silver Keys, and Honorable Mentions. The winners with Gold Keys are advanced to the national level, where they compete for gold and silver medals, as well as scholarships. These winners are recognized at the annual awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall each June.  

Because of the competition’s history, it is highly prestigious and competitive. It has become a household name for students interested in submitting their art and writing to a competition that will be recognized by colleges. The value of the Gold Medal, as well as the thousand-dollar scholarships that portfolio winners are offered, compels students of all backgrounds to contribute their work to the vast collection of submissions received by Scholastic each year.  

However, the existence of a prestigious competition also introduces its own problems. When people want to win badly, they often forgo the means of achieving that victory. Scholastic has been dealing with recent issues in AI Usage for submissions. The competition permits AI usage during the brainstorming and outlining of the work; however, artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited for the actual creation of the work.  

Students oftentimes focus their topics, language, and execution of the work to align with the popular beliefs of the judges. Many students now, inspired by the work of Ocean Vuong, focus their art and writing on themes of diaspora and generational trauma. This is just an example of a way that popular writing is influencing young writers and the central topics of the competition. Many other students seek help from outside consultants, who often revise, change, and even rewrite the work that the student will eventually end up submitting. There is definitely the sense that winning the competition seems to hold greater significance to some entrants than what they want to say.  

With that said, the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition remains an enduring and iconic pillar of young art and writing in America. It will continue to enjoy its national adoration as generations of young writers, like the greats that come before, look to the gold sheen of the medals as a marker for their bright future.