The Plains Art Museum and the Red River Valley Writing Project at NDSU have announced the state winners of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7-12. More than 200 works of art and writing were submitted for judging at the regional level in 28 categories, including poetry, painting, architecture, short story and fashion design.
Gold Key winners in writing are Evin Avery, Fargo; Brendan Carter, Inkster; Gabrielle Feather, Belcourt; Sophie Glessner, West Fargo; Nick Hoidahl, Grand Forks; Zach Howatt, Argusville; Beatrice Kjelland, Park River; Shae Skager, Mandan; Katie Snyder, Grand Forks; Heather Talma, Fargo; and Megan Vetter, West Fargo.
Silver Key winners in writing are Taylor Aasen, Mohall; Madeline Broedel, Grand Forks; Puja Chhetri, Fargo; Emma Corbet, Brocket; Katelyn Dupong, Mandan; Riley Evanson, West Fargo; Eatosh Fox, Wahpeton; Sophie Glessner, West Fargo; Hunter Harrington, Fargo; Katie Hills, Fargo; Zach Howatt, Argusville; Baylee Kram, Dickinson; Mandi Seim, Park River; Mataya Sheppard, Wahpeton; Shayden Standish, Rolla; and Megan Vetter, West Fargo.
Honorable Mention winners in writing are Diana Bata, Adams; Trenton Breland, Belcourt; Peyton Cole, Park River; Morgan Depute, Mohall; Riley Evanson, West Fargo; Caldonia Frank, Fargo; Ali Gaarsland, Fargo; Haley Geiger, Mandan; Angel Guldborg, Wahpeton; Hunter Harrington, Fargo; Zach Howatt, Argusville; Kayte Keplin, Belcourt; Steven Martinson, Wahpeton; Tessa Peterka, Pisek; Cheyenne Powless, Wahpeton; Jessica Rosenkranz, Grand Forks; MaKenna Rott, Walcott; Emily Seversinson, Reynolds; Courtney Shirek, Park River; Shae Skager, Mandan; Hannah Slater, Fargo; Pierson Sulley, Wahpeton; Braden Vetter, West Fargo; and Megan Vetter, West Fargo.
Gold Key winners in art are Madeline Broedel, Grand Forks; Michaela Dale, Grand Forks; Breanna Sullivan, Grand Forks; Megan Vetter, West Fargo; and Madeline Westereng, Grand Forks.
Silver Key winners in art are Micah Erdmann, Leonard; Morgan Franz, Watford City; Derong “Daisy” Hou, Grand Forks; Zach Howatt, Argusville; Darah Lenoir, Belcourt; Wendy Lovo, Watford City; Svea Pearson, Watford City; Julia Peterson, Fargo; Jessica Rosenkranz, Grand Forks; Nicole Rothenberger, Grand Forks; and Tanessa Skadberg, Watford City.
Honorable Mention winners in art are Anne Argenziano, Reynolds; Kayla Brademeyer, Kindred; Sophia Dorsher, Grand Forks; Micah Erdmann, Leonard; Shelby Foreman, Keene; Courtney Housel, Manning; Keegan Kaczmar, Watford City; Amanda Krupich, West Fargo; Jessica Rosenkranz, Grand Forks; Emma Shelley, Watford City; Ahsleigh Voll, Watford City; and Kaitlin Weed, Devil’s Lake.
Award-winning art is on display in the Creativity Gallery located in the Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity of Plains Art Museum until March 12. A ceremony is scheduled Saturday, March 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Plains Art Museum to recognize all winners and their teachers.
Art and writing submissions were judged based on the program’s three criteria: originality, technical skill and emergence of personal vision or voice. Student works are first adjudicated regionally through the more than 100 local Affiliates of the Alliance. Regional judging was performed by the North Dakota affiliate of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, a partnership between the Red River Valley Writing Project at NDSU and Plains Art Museum.
State Gold Key winners go on to be judged nationally by a panel of industry experts to receive Gold, Silver, American Visions and Voices, Portfolio Silver with Distinction or Portfolio Gold Medals. All national Award-winning high school seniors gain access to a special scholarship pool of more than $10 million through Alliance partnerships with colleges and universities across the country. National award winners will be announced on March 14.
Since the program’s founding in 1923, the awards have fostered the creativity and talent of millions of students, including renowned alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their fields, including Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Philip Pearlstein and Sylvia Plath. More recently, Stephen King, Richard Linklater, Zac Posen and Lena Dunham won Scholastic Art and Writing Awards when they were teens.
Sponsors include Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, Command Web Offset Co., The New York Times, Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel LLP, The National Endowment for the Arts, Blick Art Materials and Utrecht Art Supplies, The Gedenk Movement, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Golden Artist Colors, the Bernstein Family Foundation, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Duck Tape, Colossal Media, 3D Systems; numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
