Call for Region-at-Large Adjudication Partners

A paid partnership opportunity with the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards  

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, presenter and administrators of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, is seeking art and/or writing-focused organizations to help judge the 2026 Scholastic Awards through our satellite region called “Region-at-Large.”  

What is the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards? The Scholastic Awards are the largest, longest-running recognition program for creative teens. For over 100 years, the Awards have invited young people in grades 7–12 to enter their works of visual art and creative writing across 29 categories, unlocking recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarship opportunities. The Awards have an impressive roster of notable alumni, including Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, José Parlá, Amanda Gorman, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol.  

All entered works are judged first at the regional level, in collaboration with a robust group of approximately 100 regional Affiliate Partners—school districts, museums, colleges and universities, libraries, and other educational organizations—who administer the Awards and celebrate young people within their local communities. Works that win in the regional then advance to the national level.   

What is Region-at-Large? While the Alliance’s Affiliate Partner network is vast, it does not reach every corner of our participating geographic area (the U.S., U.S. territories, and Canada). Teens without a local Affiliate are assigned to a satellite region managed directly by the Alliance ("Region-at-Large"). Region-at-Large is essential to the Awards' structure, creating opportunities so that all young people who wish to participate and gain from the Awards are able to do so. Serving as a Region-at-Large Partner is a direct way to support and help recognize the next generation of young creatives, particularly those who would not otherwise have an avenue into the Awards due to their geographic location.   

Benefits of serving as a Region-at-Large (RAL) Partner:  

• $2,500 honorarium for your organization  
• Affiliation with the most prestigious awards program for creative teens in the country  
• Recognition in Scholastic Awards’ publications and online; copies of publications and other branded materials provided to your organization  
• Opportunity to get to know the Awards and the Alliance, and determine if you’d like to apply to be an Affiliate Partner, responsible for administering the entire regional Awards process in your local community  
• Unique look at nationwide trends in art and writing education, and inspiration for educational research and/or curriculum planning  
• Access to the Alliance staff for administrative and technical support through trainings, office hours, and other communications  

Region-at-Large (RAL) Partners will be asked to:  

• Appoint a site coordinator (staff member or volunteer) to lead the project.  
• Recruit local jurors to adjudicate teen art and writing between December 17, 2025 and January 7, 2026; prospective RAL partners can apply to adjudicate visual art, creative writing, or both, depending on organizational expertise.   
• Participate in brief virtual training sessions to learn how to navigate and utilize the Scholastic Awards entry portal. Please note that the workflow for adjudicating art and writing work is different, and the specific workflow will be reviewed in an introductory call.   
• Sign a participation contract and provide payment information for the year. Region-at-Large Partners in good standing will be invited and encouraged to participate in subsequent years—there is no need to re-apply annually.  

For many of our Region-at-Large Partners, participation provides a meaningful and unique programming opportunity, including ways to engage volunteer cohorts, working artists, older adults, and other constituents as jurors. RAL Partners are encouraged to think about how participation can support their own mission-driven goals.   

Submit a RAL Partner Interest Form by the September 1 deadline.  

09/01/2025