Thank you very much for your daily commitment to students in Harris County.

HCDE has proudly served as a regional sponsor for The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards since 1993. Established by Maurice Robinson, founder of Scholastic Books Inc., it is the largest and most prestigious recognition program and source of scholarships for creative teens in the U.S.

Each fall, area schools and districts submit students’ best artwork and writing to compete at the regional level. Entries are judged by panels of highly-qualified professionals who select Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention recipients. Gold Key winners go on to compete at the national level. More than 1,500 students receive national awards each year. Past winners include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates.

My team and I are here to help provide support for you, as you support the teachers and students in your district.

We are looking forward to another great year!

Andrea Segraves

Director of the Teaching and Learning Center

Regional Affiliate for Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Harris County Department of Education

All students and educators register work through the Online Registration System (ORS). The ORS will become available to the public at artandwriting.org/login on September 14, 2016.

No Restrictions on Subject Matter and Freedom of Expression

There are no restrictions on subject matter in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Alliance allows works by teenagers to cover controversial themes, including identity, violence, politics, religion, sex, the environment, human rights, etc. Jurors must select work based on its successful execution, and not on the nature of its content. Jurors who feel that they cannot judge a work fairly because their personal beliefs influence their reaction to the work must recuse themselves from adjudicating that work. In a case where a juror recuses him or herself, the other two jurors should reach a consensus.

Works must not be renderings of Old Masters or already-published works. These works should be disqualified.

Description of the Three Criteria

Though categories and jurors have changed throughout the ninety year history of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and student submissions have naturally reflected changing cultural mores, one fundamental aspect of the selection process has remained unchanged since the earliest days of the Awards: the criteria by which jurors evaluate work.

Jurors are asked to weight three core values: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision in determining whether a submission receives a Scholastic Award.

ORIGINALITY

Work that challenges conventions, blurs the boundaries between genres, and shifts notions of how a particular concept or emotion can be expressed. Jurors are encouraged to look for works of art and writing that surprise them.

PERSONAL VOICE AND VISION

Work that demonstrates a unique point of view or style.

TECHNICAL SKILL

Work that shows proficiency in using the styles and techniques of the category. Exhibition of technical skill alone is unlikely to be rewarded unless it’s exercised in the service of expressing an idea that is unique, powerful, and innovative and helps to highlight the artist’s vision and the writer’s voice.

We are familiar with this type of creativity from Awards alumni Richard Avedon, Sylvia Plath, and Joyce Carol Oates. But what did their works look and sound like when they were teenagers? How are America’s young artists expressing the concerns and issues of modern-day life?

These are the questions we ask our jurors to consider, and we believe our three criteria go a long way toward helping our jurors best identify tomorrow’s cultural change-makers.

Email: asegraves@hcde-texas.org
Website: www.hcde-texas.org
Location: 6300 Irvington Boulevard, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: 713-696-1318