The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards submission season is here! As you ready your creative works for submission, please keep these tips and tricks in mind! Remember, the deadline to submit your works for the Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio Art and Writing Region is 9 January 2018 at 11.59 PM EST.
General:
- When filling out your online profile, make sure your first and last name is spelled correctly! If you win an award, we will use this information to print your certificate and other award materials and publications.
- Make sure you include a title for your work. Though this is not mandatory, titles can augment your work and help explain your vision.
- Have you read through all of the Special Awards criteria? If your work qualifies for a special award be sure to tick the box so you can be considered for these additional awards and scholarships.
- Cite your sources! If you were inspired by another work, use a quote from another work, or include pieces from another work in your submission cite the sources so you do not get disqualified for plagiarism. Questions about copyright and plagiarism? See the Scholastic website for official definitions.
Art:
- Keep in mind the size requirements for photography: 300 DPI and a print size of at least 5 x 7 inches.
- Photographing your work well is extremely important to showcase your technique and style.
- If your work is 2D—make sure the camera is parallel to the artwork to avoid distortion
- If you work is 3D—make sure to use a plain, neutral backdrop and if your work looks different from different sides, be sure to show us! You can upload up to four pictures.
- Consider your lighting—to capture colors accurately and avoid strong shadows take pictures by a window on a cloudy day or use multiple light sources.
- If you don’t have access to Photoshop, there are a number of free photo editors online to adjust the size, color, and contrast of your images (no Instagram filters, please!)
- Double check that you are submitting your work to the correct category as some category definitions have changed.
- Having trouble?
- Refer to this video from the Scholastic website about photographing artwork: Photographing Work.
- See how FWMoA does it below:
Capturing 3D works.
Capturing 2D works.
Writing:
- When submitting writing works take time to ensure no personal information, including names or places, are present in your work. The Scholastic awards are judged blind, meaning judges have no personal information about the author, to ensure fairness and equality in judging.
- When copying and pasting your work into the uploader box, double check line and paragraph breaks, especially for poetry. When copying and pasting formatting can often get lost in translation so make sure your work looks like you want it to look!
- Double check that you are submitting your work to the correct category as some category definitions have changed.
Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!