2011 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Pre-College Topics High School Life
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<p>I was excited about getting a gold medal until I read the winning writing from last year…a lot of it is really bad and my friends (who are MUCH stronger writers than I am…one was even published by HuffPo) agree. </p>

<p>Makes me not want to ask my mom to pay all that money to take us to NYC, especially with me going to college next year and that already being extremely expensive. </p>

<p>-_-</p>

<p>People who went last year: is it worth the money?</p>

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<p>Ahhh, Hunt – you have outed yourself as a person with concrete experience, and will now be peppered with questions! If D & I stay at the recommended hotel (Roosevelt this year), is there any organized transportation provided to Carnegie Hall? Can’t quite picture 100 or so families all trying to hail a cab at the same time. And did you do any of the tours the following day? Our info. to date says that some may be for students only – did you find that parents were often excluded? Any thoughts on trying to take public transportation from the airport to Grand Central Station? Any suggestions for things to do/see/bring? Thanks!</p>

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<p>OK, I’ll give some info about the NY event:

  1. It was absolutely worth it, as long as you take advantage of the opportunities. The ceremony at Carnegie Hall is cool, although of course there is no focus on the individual kids (they come out in groups and take a bow, essentially). The real value is in the talks and tours the next day. Last year, my daughter went to a session at Playwrights’ Horizon, where they met the director and authors of an original musical that was being produced there (we went to see it while we were in town). Now she’s writing plays. She also participated in the public reading–which last year was in Bryant Park, but it appears to me that it’s somewhere else this year. Try to sign up early for the lectures, because some of them fill up fast.
  2. We didn’t stay at the Roosevelt, but you could walk from there to Carnegie Hall, although it would be a fairly long walk. Unless it’s raining, you probably won’t have too much trouble getting a cab after the ceremony, especially if you walk a block or so away from the hall.
  3. I believe the kids can bring one guest to some of the lectures (but not others). We didn’t go with her, and I kind of think that’s better, so they can interact with the other kids.
  4. You can only get two tickets to Carnegie Hall (in addition to the kid’s ticket). No extras. So you might have to leave Grandma at home. Well, if the teacher goes, and is willing to give his or her extra ticket to Grandma, it might work, but nobody else can use the teacher’s ticket.
  5. Which airport are you coming from? I’d probably take a cab if it’s LaGuardia.
  6. As far as things to do, there’s lots. There are some threads on that on the Parent Cafe forum you could check out. For me, the most fun thing in New York is walking around some of the neighborhoods, like NoLita, SoHo, the Village, etc. Resist the urge to shop in stores or eat in restaurants that you have at home. Try to avoid things with long lines–for example, I don’t recommend going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on a short visit–same is probably true for the Empire State Building. There are lots of great museums. If you want to see a Broadway show, a good thing to do is get discounted (often half price) tickets at the TKTS booth in Times Square. Tip: the giant line (which moves pretty fast) is for musicals. There is a much shorter line for plays–so see a play, since your kid is a literary type, anyway. If Arcadia is still playing, see that if they have tickets.
  7. It’s fun to eat in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. The station also has a nice food court on the lower level.</p>
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<p>Excellent info. Hunt – thank you very much! Your suggestion to see a play (as opposed to a musical) is a particularly great idea. I haven’t looked into plane tickets yet, so I don’t know which airport we will be using. I’ve booked a room at the Roosevelt, just in case that seems to be more convenient for some reason, but I think I will look around a bit more. Do the kids sign up for tours and lectures when they register in NY? If so, that might be a reason to arrive earlier, as opposed to later.</p>

<p>My D is a junior this year, so I am thinking this award will look pretty terrific on next fall’s college applications…! ;)</p>

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<p>My recollection is that you do sign up for these lectures and tours at registration, but I’m not sure–there may be advance signup on line. The packet came in the mail today, and we haven’t looked at all of it yet. If it is onsite, it is a reason to come early–I suggest you come right after my kid. Another reason to register on the early side is that big lines form, and it can take a long time.</p>

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<p>Ha! We’ll be sure to get that timing just right. ;)</p>

<p>Hopefully our packet will arrive in tomorrow’s mail…</p>

<p>Congratulations on the return engagement!</p>

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<p>We went through the online RSVP last night, and you do sign up for some of the tours and talks online–although it still appears that you may get assigned to the specific tour at registration.</p>

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<p>Great to know – thanks. If our snail-mail package doesn’t arrive today, I will suggest to D that she go ahead with the on-line RSVP anyway, in order to get top picks for the tours and talks. I checked the TKTS website yesterday, and as of last week Arcadia was still playing and available… Another friend (IRL, if you can imagine!) has suggested a bicycle-rickshaw tour of Central Park as a must do. (Apparently the lovely horse-drawn carriages have a very restricted route.) This is going to be FUN!</p>

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<p>Will some tours really run out of spots? My family is still unsure about how many guest tickets we need so I don’t want to hit submit. </p>

<p>I’m a writer, and there were less writing winners, right? So wouldn’t those tours be more likely to still have spots in a week or so?</p>

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<p>wildflower – I have no idea how fast the tours will fill, but I don’t see any reason to wait on a decision about number of guest tickets. The most you can get is two, so why not go ahead and sign up for two – they don’t cost anything. </p>

<p>And D’s “snail-mail” package arrived today – UPS 2nd day air! Was probably sitting at the front door (which we rarely use) since yesterday… :)</p>

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<p>I think it’s worth emphasizing that they really won’t give you more than two guest tickets. Carnegie Hall is absolutely packed to the rafters for the ceremony.</p>

<p>As for the talks and tours, they do fill up.</p>

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<p>Have they announced novel winners yet or are we waiting for May for that?</p>

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<p>We’re waiting for May. :)</p>

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<p>Novel award announcements came in the mail about a week ago (my D got a gold key).</p>

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<p>Hunt – Congratulations to your D!! That is fantastic!!</p>

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<p>guys–we will be in New York in a week!! okay, i hope this doesn’t sound like a petty question, but what exactly is the standard attire for the awards ceremony (for girls)? i’ve heard its about as formal as what you’d wear to homecoming, just classier. true?</p>

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<p>I went three years ago, but it wasn’t that formal. A casual dress or skirt/top should be fine. You’re going to be standing around for a while backstage.</p>

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<p>How hard is it to win a gold key in region at-large?
I’m from Delaware.</p>

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<p>It’s hard to say how hard it is. They give out quite a few. Look at past winners to see what kind of stuff wins.</p>

<p>As for dress at Carnegie Hall, I agree that a relatively casual dress or skirt will be fine. For boys, maybe khakis and a collared shirt–a tie would not be too much.</p>

<p>And to perhaps get more people interested, a number of DC area national medal winners for poetry were invited to the following event (including my D):
[Poetry</a> Student Workshop at the White House | The White House](<a href=“http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/05/11/poetry-student-workshop-white-house]Poetry”>http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/05/11/poetry-student-workshop-white-house)</p>

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<p>Bringing this thread back because I’d really like feedback from the national winners. </p>

<p>I got a gold key for the 2011 awards, but was not nationally recognized. I was wondering if in general, AYAW prefers more flowery prose or what? Because I consider myself a good writer for the most part, but my script isn’t as flowery as some are. This applies to both poetry and short fiction.</p>

<p>What do you guys say, based on your experience?</p>