The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers annually recognizes the best creative work by teens across the nation with the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Founded in 1923, the program is the oldest artistic recognition competition in the country. From Comic Art to Mixed Media to Short Story, there are 28 categories in which teens in grades 7-12 can submit art or writing pieces. Jurors who are experts in literary and visual arts evaluate students’ entries for originality, technical skill and emergence of a personal voice or vision. At the 98th iteration of the award ceremony this year, sophomore Anish Aradhey entered his piece “Disparate Awakenings of Memory” in the poetry category. 

Aradhey won a Gold Key Award at the southeast regional level, automatically qualifying him for the national competition. Then, the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers announced the national medalists March 17. Aradhey won a national silver medal for his piece. Aradhey is excited that his poetry has been recognized on the national level.

“I have been working on some of the poems that I submitted for over two years, so I am definitely proud to see my hard work pay off,” Aradhey said. “I’m very grateful for the teachers who have given me feedback on my poetry, and I am looking forward to continuing my writing in the future.”