Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards showcase the “vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth,” according to their website. The awards are presented to students in grades seven to 12 around the nation.

Much work and organization is required from both art students and art teachers in preparation for sending pieces to the judging panel.

“Sometimes [the process] was a little stressful because you have to make sure you get everything submitted on time, make an account online, fill out all this information and fill out paperwork,” junior Riley Gallagher said. “But in the end it really does pay off because if you’re lucky, you get an award.”

Originally, teachers were responsible for entering student pieces. However, the in-depth process of preparing and submitting work gives students a taste of what the professional art world is like.

“[Students] are in charge of doing the whole submission process themselves,” Fine Arts teacher Chris Hodge said. “It’s really an authentic way to have students experience the art world because it’s a lot like what you would do if you were submitting to an art show as a professional artist.”

Though young artists gain valuable experience, some have reservations about how work is judged and assigned awards. According to the Scholastic Art Awards website, pieces submitted to the awards are “blindly judged by leaders in the visual and literary arts” based on originality, technical skill and emergence of a personal voice or vision.

“I never liked the idea of having somebody rank everyone’s artwork,” senior Lizz Elliott said. “I don’t like the idea of people who are not necessarily less original, but don’t have quite as unique photos—because there are only so many photos you can take—getting lower points than everyone else.”

Despite her doubts about the judgment process, Elliott still feels like she benefits from the experience.

“You get to see other people’s perspective on your work and it’s kind of like a first-time viewing because Hodge has seen my work for the past three years so he knows my style…but if you get someone who hasn’t known your style, it’s really great to know their opinion as well,” Elliott said.

Central has been submitting artwork to the Scholastic Art Aw ards for the past ten years and it has become a tradition, according to Fine Arts teacher Daniela Cirone.

“Scholastics is a pretty big deal,” Cirone said. “I feel like it’s what we all look forward to; it’s a very big event and we’re preparing for it from the start of the year.”