The Scholastic Art Awards has recognized youths for their creativity and talents in the field of Art since 1923. Each year the program continues to grow and more teenagers become involved and participate in the program, which is not only for artists but for poets, photographers, writers, and filmmakers as well. 

In this year’s contest students could submit their works from September 13- December 15, 2017. The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers present the awards, and have a main goal to recognize students who are artistically and literarily skilled. 

The competition is judged by judges who have experience in visual and literary arts, and they award the students who can show originality, technical skill, and personal voice or vision in their works. 

Every year our art teachers enter several Prep students pieces of art into the contest and they are normally very successful in the competition. Students that do receive an award for their work commonly win a regional gold key, regional silver key, or an honorable mention. Of the numerous amount of works that are entered into the competition only 30% of them win an award. 

This year 535 awards were given out to highschool students in Mississippi. Of those 535 awards,  86 of them were won by Jackson Prep students. 

8th grader Hannah Zhou was an American Vision Nominee as well as a National Silver Medal winner, and Senior Graham Roberson also won a National Silver Medal. Prep Students won 17 regional Gold Key Awards, 19 regional Silver Key Awards, and 47 Honorable Mentions. All works in Mississippi that were awarded with an American Vision or a Gold Key were on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art from February 20-March 25, 2018, Silver Key and Honorable Mention winners could be viewed online. 

All Prep winning art will be on display in the Art Gallery in the Prep Library until the end of July.