2021 Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards
We are happy to announce the 2021 Maine Region Scholastic Art Award Competition and the 2021 Congressional Art Competition! This year, Scholastics is adapting to respect our state's protocol and will plan accordingly, hosting a live or virtual exhibition and virtual ceremony to celebrate Maine’s budding artists in Spring 2021.
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. Each year, increasing numbers of teens participate in the program, and become a part of our community—young artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, video game artists and science fiction writers—along with countless educators who support and encourage their creative process.
The Congressional Art Competition takes place each spring, when the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since this competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.
Maine College of Art & Design is pleased to be hosting both the Scholastic Art Award Competition and the Congressional Art Awards this year. For complete details on student eligibility, competition categories, jury criteria, important dates and deadlines, scholarships, and more, please see below for more details and/or artandwriting.org.
See below for a full list of last year's award winning art and students!
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens. Maine's regional Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention, and American Visions & Voices Nomination recipients are honored locally through community ceremonies and exhibitions.
Maine students are invited to submit creative and original work to any of the Awards’ eighteen creative categories, including architecture, photography, sculpture, comic art, painting, video game design, fashion, and more. At each level of judging, all works are selected to move on to the next stage based on the same three criteria that have represented the program since its founding in 1923: originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal vision or voice.
Thank you
We would like to thank the educators, parents, and supporters of our award-winning student artists. We are grateful to your encouragement for this group of talented student artists!
Warm thanks go to our 2021 Scholastics Art Awards jurors for their collective visual arts expertise and discerning wisdom: Christian Adame, Piper Bolduc, Meghan Brady, Mia Byogo, Brian Doody, Jessica Gandolf, Amelia Hundt-Persans, Jamie Hogan, Isaac Jaegerman, Justin Levesque, Hector Nevarez Magaña, Aeron Metzger, Pilar Nadal, Thalassa Raasch, Yael Reinharz, Rachel Romanski, Hope Rovelto, Rachel Somerville, and Carolyn Wachnicki.
At Maine College of Art & Design, thank you to Justin Desper, Maine Admissions Counselor, Jenna Crowder, Interim Director of Admissions, and the entire MECA&D Admissions team for helping coordinate the Maine Region Scholastics Art Awards process. Thank you to Annie Wadleigh, Assistant Director of Development, Lauren Glennon, Director of Institutional Advancement and Strategic Planning, and Eri Deisgn for their coordination of the virtual exhibition.
Special thanks go to Julie Horn, Visual Arts Director at the Maine Arts Commission, for her graceful coordination of the Congressional Art Awards process and her continued support for student artists in Maine.
Regional and National Awards
Regional — Gold Key
The very best works submitted to local programs. Gold Key works are automatically considered for national–level recognition. See the winning 2021 Gold Key awardees here.
Regional — Silver Key
Stand-out works submitted to local programs that demonstrate exceptional ability. See the winning 2021 Silver Key awardees here.
Regional — Honorable Mention
Accomplished works submitted to local programs showing great skill and potential. See the winning 2021 Honorable Mention awardees here.
Regional — American Visions & Voices Nominees
Five works, from across all categories and grades, are selected from those earning Gold Keys as the “Best-of-Show” for each local program as nominees for the American Visions & Voices Medals.
National — Gold Medal
The most outstanding works in the nation.
National — Silver Medal
Works demonstrating high honors on the national level.
National — American Visions & Voices Medals
One work from each local region, from the five American Voices & Visions Nominees, will earn an American Visions & Voices Medal.
National — Gold Medal & Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolios
Seniors with outstanding portfolios are recognized with Gold Medal Portfolio and Silver Medal with Distinction Portfolio Awards. These honors include scholarships.
National — Special Achievement Awards
Additional awards and scholarships are presented through the support of Scholastics sponsors.
Student Eligibility
Public, private, or home-school students in the U.S., Canada, or American schools abroad enrolled in grades 7–12 (ages thirteen and up) are eligible to participate in the Scholastic Awards. Students can compete in up to 18 different art categories.
Judging Criteria
Originality
Work that breaks from convention, blurs the boundaries between genres, and challenges notions of how a particular concept or emotion can be expressed.
Technical Skill
Work that uses technique to advance an original perspective or a personal vision or voice, and shows skills being utilized to create something unique, powerful, and innovative.
Emergence of a Personal Vision or Voice
Work with an authentic and unique point of view and style.
Steps to Enter
The deadline to enter the 2021 Scholastics Art Awards has passed. Stay tuned for updates on the 2022 Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards!
1. Sign up
Create an account at artandwriting.org/login to submit your work.
2. Create and Upload Your Work
The Scholastic Awards look for work that demonstrates originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. After you have created your work, you can upload it to your Scholastic Awards Account. Once you have logged in, follow the instructions to upload all of your submissions into the system.
Every category has specific requirements so please read the guidelines and category descriptions carefully. Note that you will need your art educator's email address.
3. Send in the Required Forms
After uploading your work, print your submission forms and have a parent or guardian and an educator sign them. Submit the form(s) and fee(s) following the instructions on the Submission Form and the guidelines below. Please carefully read through the instructions as you go through the registration process.
Submission Fees
In 2021, the fees were $7 for Individual Submissions and $25 for Portfolio entries.
Submission fees can be submitted online via PayPal.
If you need to pat by check, please make it out to Maine College of Art & Design and send to:
Maine College of Art & Design
Attn: Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards
522 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Image Requirements
Digital Image Requirements
Artwork must be submitted as a digital file in JPG, GIF, or PNG format (PSD, BMP, PDF, RAW, or TIF files are not accepted). Print dimensions must be at least 5” x 7” or approximately 13 x 18 centimeters, and image resolution must be 300 dpi. 3-D submissions may include up to 4 images. Please include a ruler or object for reference to indicate scale in at least one of the images.
Submissions allowing for video uploads must be .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .avi, .mpg, or .mpeg files. Video Game submissions must be .exe, .zip, .rar, or .swf files, must also include a 250-500 word gameplay summary in the provided text editor, and a gameplay video.
Mailing Address
Maine College of Art & Design
Attn: Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards
522 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Contact email
artandwriting@meca.edu
Do not mail artwork for the judging process. Judging is done from your digitally submitted entry.
Details will be emailed to each student after the judging of digital art has taken place. Only bring or mail artwork if it has been invited to be displayed.
Photography has a limit of 16 entries. Portfolios are limited to high school seniors; (grade 12) and 2 portfolios of 8 pieces each. Portfolio pieces can also be entered as individual pieces. No other limits on submissions. The "Future New" category can only be entered Nationally. It can not be entered into the regional competition.
Notification
Communications will all be via email.
Dates & Deadlines
The digital submission deadline was Tuesday, December 15, 2020. Paperwork, including forms and payment, must be received by Tuesday, December 15, 2020.
The 2021 Maine Region Scholastics Exhibition will take place virtually, with a date TBA. Students who receive Silver Key or Gold Key awards for individual works or portfolios will be invited to exhibit their winning work at Maine College of Art & Design.
The 2021 Maine Region Scholastics Award Ceremony will be held virtually in March, with a date and time TBA.
We will notify all winning students of their awards with an invitation to the ceremony. Students will be asked to RVSP so we can make the event as smooth as possible for all.
The awards ceremony is by invitation only and not open to the public.
Header Image
Eliza Goodwin, At The End of Stream, Gold Key, Printmaking, Waynflete School
