This year, Poly students won a total of 164 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, with 96 writing awards and 69 art awards in total. Students have consistently participated in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a national contest founded in 1923, but this year, there was particularly high interest.
In writing, more than 30 students from all grade levels submitted works, and most students submitted multiple pieces, resulting in 39 Honorable Mentions, 31 Silver Keys and 26 Gold Keys. There were also a plethora of art awards: 27 Honorable Mentions, 20 Silver Keys and 18 Gold Keys.
Beyond the accolades, the competition has served as a fulfilling outlet for Poly students.
“I decided to submit to Scholastic because writing has always been a meaningful way for me to write about my personal experiences,” shared junior Kaitlyn Chiao, who earned Gold Keys in the personal essay and journalism categories. “The writing pieces I submitted specifically highlighted my Asian American identity and local advocacy for Asian American communities.”
In recent years, the number of Poly regional winners in writing has been increasing, going from 20 in 2022 to this year’s 96. Upper School English Teacher and Writers Center Coordinator Rachel Pringle helped to promote the contest to Upper School students.
“I think a lot of credit goes to the fact that last year we had several winners,” Pringle explained. “When students see their peers winning awards, that inspires them.”
Visual Arts Department Chair Arnor Bieltvedt shared a similar sentiment: “I think it’s great when we share results in both art and writing because students are encouraged to participate in following years.”
The Scholastic Awards are particularly popular with Poly students because the contest has a wide variety of genre categories, so students often can submit works they have already created rather than needing to craft new pieces in response to a specific prompt or theme. Teachers have encouraged students to submit work they have written for Poly classes.
“I got my stories from the Creative Writing Short Fiction elective class that I had with Ms. Holmgren,” shared junior Jessica Li, whose short story received an honorable mention in the competition.
In the writing category, there was an exceptionally high number of poetry awards, with 54 recognized honors. The most popular art category submitted was photography, with 37 awards.
“As an English teacher, I always hear students complain about studying poetry. You would think maybe students don’t really like to write poetry, but our awards show that students do like to write poetry,” Pringle commented. “Because poems are short, they have a low entry bar compared to writing a long history research paper. I also think that poetry gives students an opportunity to often write something very personal.”
In addition to the impressive number of accolades Poly high schoolers earned in the competition, an eighth grader, Jacob Price, also received an Honorable Mention in the journalism category, a Silver Key for his poetry, and a Gold Key and American Voices Nomination for his critical essay. The American Voices Nomination is particularly impressive, given to only five Gold Key winners in each region.
Price was also one of nine boys this year to earn a writing award, an increase from last year’s two, representing a broader shift in participation within traditionally gendered activities.
“A lot of activities, unfortunately, I think at Poly are very gender divided. Once you have those few people breaking that barrier, it becomes a lot easier for people of that gender to also try that activity,” reflected Pringle.
With rising participation and increasing recognition among winners, this year’s Scholastic Awards mark a milestone for Poly’s creative community, reflecting growth in both representation and ambition.
