Featured image: Trouser Town by Luke Gil, Mixed Media
Well, it’s almost time… the virtual National Ceremony is only ONE. DAY. AWAY. (Tomorrow June 9 at 7:00 pm ET, free and open to all!)
Be sure to share the link and encourage your family and friends to tune in to this momentous celebration of the some of the most talented creative teens across the country!
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is just about ready to call a wrap on the 2021 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, but we are already looking forward to kicking off this summer’s writing series with the National Writing Project (more details to come!) and getting ready for the 2022 Awards.
But before this final wrap, we have one final curtain call–our second round of Gold Medalists and scholarship winners, with a spotlight on our American Voices and Visions Medalists!
From our National Art and Writing Portfolio winners, to our Silver Medalists, and our Gold Medalists and scholarship winners, we have been honored to feature national award-winning works here on the blog these past few months and celebrate these students’ achievements. While we will not be able to feature all of our incredible RAL Gold Medalists in this post, you can check out the full list of national award-winning pieces here.
Congratulations again to all our RAL award recipients and to everyone who participated. The virtual National Ceremony on June 9 is on the horizon–are you ready?!
But first, let’s celebrate our featured Gold Medalists and American Voices and Visions Medalists . . . CONGRATULATIONS!
American Visions Medal Winners
Isabella Bailey, “In the Comfort of Her Bedroom”, Painting, Grade 12. Firestone High School, Akron, OH. Stephen Cjestey, Daniel Coffield, and Julienne Hogarth, Educators 
Kenneth Yu, “The Allagi Fountain”, Architecture & Industrial Design, Grade 10. Elgin Park Secondary, Surrey, Canada. John Lu, Educator 
Luke Gil, “Trouser Town”, Mixed Media, Grade 12. Loyola High School of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. Jocelyn Grau, Educator 
Luke Lirette, “Silence”, Photography, Grade 11. Mathematics, Science, Arts Academy-West, Plaquemine, LA. Rebecca Luke-Lirette, Educator 
Sofia Klimkowski Arango, “Pocketed”, Sculpture, Grade 11. Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, Greenville, SC. Joseph Thompson, Educator 
Stefania Andreev, “Complexity”, Mixed Media, Grade 12. Rocky Hill School, East Greenwich, RI. Meghan Getsinger, Educator
American Voices Medal Winners
Reagan Nguyen, “Blue Roses”, Flash Fiction, Grade 10. Cedar Creek School, Ruston, LA. Leeanne Bordelon, Educator 
Zander Pryor, “Token Trans”, Dramatic Script, Grade 12. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dallas, TX. Guinea Bennett, Educator 
Jaya Kumar, “The Evolution of Graffiti in Toronto: Interviews with Graffiti Artists Jafar and Rons”, Journalism, Grade 10. University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, Canada. Charlie Pullen, Educator 
Alexa Barstow, “Stage Red”, Short Story, Grade 12. Oceanside High School, Rockland, ME. Clare LaVergne, Educator 
Jaeden Kapur, “Crushed”, Poetry, Grade 11. Eastlake High School, Sammamish, WA. Matthew Austin, Educator 
Ean Casey, “Arctic White”, Poetry, Grade 11. Home School, Norfolk, VA. Lydia Netzer, Educator
Andrea Duarte, Before You Let Me Go
2021 Gold Medal, Photography
Grade 12, Dillard High School, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Stacey Jenkins and Celestin Joseph, Educators
Zion Thompson, I Do My Hair
2021 Gold Medal, Poetry
Grade 11, Home School, Albuquerque, NM
Jacquelynne Hernandez, Educator
Myles Thompson, Switched Lenses
2021 Gold Medal, Drawing & Illustration
Grade 10, Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC
Ryan Roth, Educator
Mckenzie Sheppard, A Sustainable Way to Farm
2021 Gold Medal, Personal Essay & Memoir
Grade 8, Liberty Bell Junior-Senior High School, Winthrop, WA
Kelly Grayum, Educator
Campbell Williams, Face in the Flowers
2021 Gold Medal, Drawing & Illustration
Grade 12, Independence High School, Frisco, TX
Leonard Buscemi, Educator
Cherie Fernandes, Diversity Behind the Camera
2021 Gold Medal, Critical Essay
Grade 12, Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ
Ian August, Educator
Congratulations again to all Gold Medalists, and to all of our RAL national award winners!
. . . and don’t forget to sign up here for a reminder email when the 2022 Scholastic Awards open for entries. In the meantime . . . keep creating, and join us on June 9 at 7:00 pm ET for the premiere of the virtual National Ceremony!
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 