Students participate in annual Scholastic Art and Writing awards

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is one of the most prestigious programs that student artists can enter. Accepting entries from grades 7-12, regional winners move on with the possibility of their work being shown in New York City in March 2023. 

“The [contest] is  held annually with the mission of giving students opportunities for recognition and exhibition of their art,” art teacher Emily Wallace said. 

Students compete against others from their district to qualify for advancement. Students from Harrisburg receiving awards were seniors Maren Russell (Silver Key), Anna Stanelle (Silver Key), Emily Ray (Honorable Mention), and Adrihanna Stillson (Honorable Mention). 

“In the Southern Illinois region, scholastic winners’ artwork is exhibited at the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon,” Wallace said. 

Most, if not all, HHS art students were more than willing to submit their work. Though submitting artwork to a national competition is stressful and causes some anxiety, students were willing to overlook that so that they could branch out. 

“I was actually really nervous about submitting my own art in a competition because I never really show my art off against other people,” senior Emily Ray said. “I tried thinking of it more positively though since it would be good for me to spread out a bit more.”

This was the first time that students at HHS had submitted their work since Wallace took over the art program. She heard of the competition through her high school art teacher. 

Students are enthusiastic about this new opportunity.

“I´m super excited and grateful that my work was accepted, but I had no idea that it had a chance at being accepted because of all the various submissions,” senior Anna Stanelle said. 

Collectively, the students who submitted their work were just grateful to have been accepted. Winning is not their top priority. 

¨Honestly, I just hope people that attend the show like my piece, and it lingers in their thoughts for a while,”  senior Sadie Foy said. “I´d love to win an award or something for my piece, but it isn’t my top priority, and I’m ecstatic to have made it this far.”

The awards for the Southern Illinois region will be held at Cedarhurst Center Feb. 12. 

“The awards are quite selective, but I hope that as students continue to submit work annually, we will have a piece earn a gold key and move on to the national competition in New York,” Wallace said.