Two Lincoln students are among 24 young writers from across Nebraska who will be recognized with Scholastic Art and Writing Awards during a virtual ceremony streamed from Hastings College Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m.
Lincoln winners are Tristan McGill, who will receive a Gold Key award in Poetry, and Clarissa Tan, who will receive Gold Key awards in both the Personal Essay and Memoir categories.
The Scholastic Writing Awards program is one of the country’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition programs for creative students in grades 7-12.
During the virtual awards ceremony, Dr. Jonas Prida, Hastings College vice president for academic and student affairs, will emcee, and Marshall Highet will be the keynote speaker. Highet is a writer and adjunct in the Hastings College Department of Languages and Literatures. She published “Spare Parts,” a young adult sci-fi novel; “Hold Fast,” written with Bird Jones, a swashbuckling adventure based on historical facts; and her latest publication, “Blue-Eyed Slave,” also co-authored with Bird Jones.
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“This was a very competitive year for the writing awards. We had more entries than in previous years, and the works were very good. There are many talented young writers in Nebraska,” said Dr. Patricia Oman, associate professor of English, director of the Hastings College Press and chair of the Department of Languages and Literatures. “The quality of work also shows in the awards, as we had more award recipients this year, and more Gold Key works as well. We’re looking forward to recognizing the award recipients.”
To celebrate their work, Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention works will be available in a publication from Hastings College Press. The book, “Best Nebraska Teen Writing 2022,” plus certificates and other elements will be sent to all award recipients. Additional copies of the book are available for purchase.
For the nine students who received Gold Key awards, and in some cases multiple Gold Key awards, the opportunity for further recognition continues as their pieces will be sent to the national competition, where they will be judged by a panel of leading creative professionals.
Students from all 93 counties of Nebraska and age 13 and above are invited to submit original work in any of the Awards’ writing categories, such as flash fiction and poetry. Works are then judged by a panel of Hastings College faculty, staff and students.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program was established in 1923 and has supported the creative talent of millions of students, including distinguished alumni Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates and Andy Warhol, all of whom received recognition in the Awards when they were teens.
