Quick Facts

• Region-at-Large (RAL) is the regional level program for students who live outside of areas covered by Affiliate Partners.
• Although we often refer to RAL as one program, RAL is actually made up of 6 separate, smaller regions, each of which are divided into art and writing:
  • Northeast Region-at-Large
  • Southeast Region-at-Large
  • Southwest Region-at-Large
  • Midwest Region-at-Large
  • West Region-at-Large
  • International Region-at-Large
• All RAL regions except for the Midwest Art and Writing regions are managed directly by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, with the support of RAL adjudication partners around the country.
• The Midwest Art and Writing RAL regions are managed by the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, located at The University of Iowa.
• Students who submit through RAL are eligible to receive the same awards as their peers in Affiliate Partner regions: Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention. Gold and Silver Key award recipients are eligible to apply for Scholastic Awards Summer (SAS) Scholarships. Gold Key awarded works are automatically entered into consideration for National Medals.
• Not sure if you belong in RAL? Double check with the Alliance’s online Affiliate finder.

The Full Story

When submitting to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a student’s work is first considered at the regional level, alongside the work of peers in the surrounding geographic area. Regional Awards are managed by an Affiliate Partner, a local visual or literary arts organization that works to recognize the written and artistic achievements of young creatives in their community. An Affiliate Partner may cover art submissions, writing submissions, or both for a portion of their surrounding area. When a student creates an account to submit to the Awards, they are placed into a regional awards program based on their school’s zip code, town, and county.

However, not every county in the United States is covered by an Affiliate Partner, and students do not need to live in a community covered by an Affiliate Partner in order to submit to the Awards. In fact, tens of thousands of students across the country who live outside of Affiliate Partner coverage submit to the Awards each year. Region-at-Large (RAL) covers all students who live outside of Affiliate Partner coverage, including those in U.S. territories, military bases, and Canada.

Because Affiliate Partners may choose to manage only the art or only the writing submissions for their region, a single student may be submitting their artwork to an Affiliate Partner and their writing work to RAL, or vice versa.

What’s different for RAL students? Since RAL students are part of a wide geographical area, they are not guaranteed a local ceremony or exhibition for their regional awards. However, RAL students have access to all of the same award opportunities as their peers in Affiliate regions, including regional and national award recognition, scholarship access, and a welcome into our illustrious network of Scholastic Awards alumni.

We are always open to expanding our Affiliate Partner network. If you know of an organization in your area that may be interested in becoming an Affiliate Partner, please direct them to contact the Alliance at info@artandwriting.org.

Keep an eye on important upcoming dates to see when you can submit to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards!

Looking for more opportunities to be recognized? Students of African descent are invited to participate in local and national ACT-SO competitions! NAACP’s ACT-SO is a community-based program that provides a forum for youth of African descent to receive recognition for their achievements in academics, literary arts, visual arts, and the sciences.