The 2021 regional awards have been announced, and the FIRST EVER virtual regional ceremony hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is approaching in less than a month (March 4 at 7:00 pm EST, free and open to all!). We are super pumped for this virtual celebration honoring all regional award winners–including Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key winners–and we just couldn’t contain our excitement until then! So in the weeks leading up to the big day on March 4, we will be showcasing regionally awarded works from talented RAL teens here on the blog. Check in regularly to see some of the Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key works from across the country. You may even see your own piece on display!
This week, we are highlighting Art and Writing Portfolios. While we will not be able to feature all of our incredible RAL Portfolios in this post, you can check out the full list of award-winning pieces by visiting your regional webpage.
Congratulations again to all our RAL award recipients and to everyone who participated! We can’t wait to celebrate together on March 4.
And now, let’s cheer for some of your award-winning Portfolios!
Art Portfolios
1. Donghoo Lee, Pandemic Dreams
2021 Gold Key, Art Portfolio
Grade 12, St Mary’s High School, Manhasset, NY
Michele Bownes, Educator.
“Pandemic #1 (Gas Masked)” by Donghoo Lee, Painting. 
“pandemic #2 (Corona Dream)” by Donghoo Lee, Painting. 
“pandemic #3 (Ripped from the headlines)” by Donghoo Lee, Painting. 
“Pandemic #4 (Substratum)” by Donghoo Lee, Painting. 
“Pandemic #5 (Solitude)” by Donghoo Lee, Painting. 
“Pandemic #6 (Self Portrait 2020: What is Happening Here?)” by Donghoo Lee, Painting.
2. Dami Ogunmola, Metamorphosis
2021 Silver Key, Art Portfolio
Grade 12, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA
Jackie Washam, Educator.
“Conspicuous” by Dami Ogunmola, Mixed Media. 
“Billboards” by Dami Ogunmola, Drawing & Illustration. 
“Reflections and Transformations” by Dami Ogunmola, Drawing & Illustration. 
“’Just’ Hair” by Dami Ogunmola, Mixed Media. 
“Don’t Touch My Hair” by Dami Ogunmola, Mixed Media. 
“The Beauty in Acceptance” by Dami Ogunmola, Drawing & Illustration.
3. Bianca Teter, Mother’s Devotion
2021 Gold Key, Art Portfolio
Grade 12, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy, TX
Theresa Burgess, Educator.
“Mother’s Prayers” by Bianca Teter, Sculpture. 
“Mother’s Flowers” by Bianca Teter, Ceramics & Glass. 
“Mother’s Vases I” by Bianca Teter, Ceramics & Glass. 
“Mother’s Vases II” by Bianca Teter, Ceramics & Glass. 
“Mother’s Garden I” by Bianca Teter, Expanded Projects. 
“Mother’s Garden II” by Bianca Teter, Expanded Projects.
4. Grace Kim, A Subversion of Antiquity
2021 Silver Key, Art Portfolio
Grade 12, Notre Dame Academy Girls High School, Los Angeles, CA
Sophia Beauvy, Educator.
5. Erin Xi, Dao
2021 Gold Key, Art Portfolio
Grade 12, Sentinel Secondary School, West Vancouver, BC, Canada
Peterson Young, Educator.
Writing Portfolios
1. Aashita Pandey, Brown Girl Stories
2021 Silver Key, Writing Portfolio
Grade 12, Millburn Senior High School, Millburn, NJ
Mary D’Alessio, Educator.
An excerpt from “The Last Time We Hugged” by Aashita Pandey, Short Story. 
An excerpt from “Puri” by Aashita Pandey, Short Story. 
An excerpt from “The Life in Her Hands” by Aashita Pandey, Science Fiction & Fantasy. 
An excerpt from “Beautiful Brown Skin” by Aashita Pandey, Short Story. 
An excerpt from “Chanda Mama” by Aashita Pandey, Short Story. 
An excerpt from “You Look Happy, Beti” by Aashita Pandey, Science Fiction & Fantasy.
2. Lauren Ortega, Stardust Summer
2021 Gold Key, Writing Portfolio
Grade 12, A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, FL
Brittany Rigdon, Educator.
An excerpt from “Starbed” by Lauren Ortega, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Green” by Lauren Ortega, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Cicada Season” by Lauren Ortega, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Jellyfish” by Lauren Ortega, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Black Thumb” by Lauren Ortega, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Cleo” by Lauren Ortega, Poetry.
3. Rakin Faruk, Your Turn to Take the Blame
2021 Gold Key, Writing Portfolio
Grade 12, Home School, Albuquerque, NM
Jacquelynne Hernandez, Educator.
An excerpt from “Reaching Nirvana as a Muslim” by Rakin Faruk, Personal Essay & Memoir. 
An excerpt from “Addict” by Rakin Faruk, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Full Circle” by Rakin Faruk, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Tag, You’re Frozen” by Rakin Faruk, Flash Fiction. 
An excerpt from “Just a Dream” by Rakin Faruk, Short Story. 
An excerpt from “COVID-19; A Racist’s Best Friend” by Rakin Faruk, Critical Essay.
4. Rachel Gundersen, Hodge-Podge and Silverware—A Collection of Works That Define My Personality
2021 Gold Key, Writing Portfolio
Grade 12, Karl Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon, UT
Shannon Cannon, Educator.
An excerpt from “Spoons” by Rachel Gundersen, Humor. 
An excerpt from “First Impressions—Understanding the Misunderstood” by Rachel Gundersen, Critical Essay. 
An excerpt from “A Teenager’s Guide to School in Pajamas” by Rachel Gundersen, Humor. 
An excerpt from “The Christmas Onion” by Rachel Gundersen, Dramatic Script. 
An excerpt from “Life Enthusiast” by Rachel Gundersen, Personal Essay & Memoir. 
An excerpt from “Conversion through Devout Discipleship” by Rachel Gundersen, Critical Essay.
5. Safaa Ali, Tabula Rasa
2021 Silver Key, Writing Portfolio
Grade 12, Bayview Glen School, Toronto, ON, Canada
Norm Reynolds, Educator.
An excerpt from “Smoking Gun” by Safaa Ali, Poetry. 
An excerpt from “Et tu, Democracy?” by Safaa Ali, Critical Essay. 
An excerpt from “Blue Blood in a Basement Room: Our Fascination with the Last Romanov Family” by Safaa Ali, Critical Essay. 
An excerpt from “Countdown” by Safaa Ali, Personal Essay & Memoir. 
An excerpt from “Blindfolded” by Safaa Ali, Short Story. 
An excerpt from “Waiting” by Safaa Ali, Poetry.
Congratulations again to all award-winning portfolios, and to all of our RAL regional award winners!
…And don’t forget! Register and save the date for March 4 at 7:00 pm EST to join us for a virtual celebration of all our regional award winners.
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.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are open for entries annually from September through December. See upcoming important dates to learn more about what’s next for the Awards.
Region-at-Large 