FAQs for Sponsors/Teachers 2011-12
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Who is eligible to participate in The Scholastic Art Awards Program?
Students must be enrolled in grades 7-12 for the 2012-2013 school year in a public, private, parochial, home-school, or after school program in the following Virginia cities and counties: Charles City, Chesapeake, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Franklin, Isle of Wight, Goochland, Hampton, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, King William, New Kent, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond City, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Virginia Beach, West Point, Williamsburg, and York. NEW Additions for 2012-2013 include: Albemarle, Caroline, Charlottesville, Culpepper, Essex, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Fredericksburg, Gloucester, Greene, King and Queen, King George, Lancaster, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Manassas County, Manassas Park, Mathews, Middlesex, Nelson, Northumberland, Orange, Prince William, Rappahannock, Richmond County, Spotsylvania, Suffolk City, Suffolk County and Westmoreland.
Note: Artwork created in the spring semester of 2012 is eligible for submission. Students should submit in their current grade level. Seniors who graduated in June 2012 are NOT eligible to participate. Seniors graduating mid-term in December 2012 may participate. Both independent artworks and work created in the classroom are eligible for submission.
How do students apply to The Scholastic Art Awards if they are home-schooled or do not have an art teacher?
Students may ask a parent, coach, community center leader, guidance counselor, school administrator, or tutor to serve as their sponsor in the submission process. A sponsor must register in the Online Registration System (ORS) and have a valid email address before the student registers.
Students who are eligible for the National Free or Reduced Lunch Program or students for whom fees are a barrier to participation are not required to pay the submission fee. A teacher or administrator must submit a letter on school letterhead stating why the student qualifies for a fee waiver. Please attach the letter to the submission form in place of the submission fee. This letter should read: The Scholastic Art Awards fee of [amount] presents a barrier for [student’s name]’s participation in the 2012 program year. Please waive the fee.
What should a student who does not have a valid email address do?
Students are required to have a valid email address in order to successfully complete the submission process. There are several free email providers: www.gmail.com, www.hotmail.com, www.yahoo.com. Please ask the student to visit one of these sites and set up a free email account before beginning registration. Students may use a parent or guardian’s email address in place of their own.
Can an art teacher who teaches at multiple schools submit work from each school?
Art teachers are welcome to submit works from students at different schools. However, they are required to use a different email address for each school for which they are submitting works.
Is there a specific theme students must address?
There are no restrictions on content or subject matter in The Scholastic Art Awards. Students may address any subject they choose. Additional awards are offered to students who respond to bullying or grief incorporate new materials and technologies into their creations. Please visit the Alliance's website for more information about the Creative Concept Awards.
Can students submit work by rendering from photographs?
Creating work from photographs is allowed in The Scholastic Art Awards if the image is taken by the student. Rendering from any copyrighted images is not permitted and will be disqualified.
If a student creates a work with two or more 2-D media such as pencil and paint, is that considered Mixed Media?
No. Mixed media consists of collage or assemblage where materials added together protrude from the 2-D plane. A work done with both painting and drawing must be submitted in only one of those categories.
How do students submit work under the Video Game category?
Video Games are submitted directly to The Alliance by either uploading to The Alliance Online Registration System or by saving on CD-ROM and mailing to The Alliance. Through a partnership with E-line Media, students may create playable games through The Scholastic Awards Edition of Gamestar Mechanic. Students will be required to submit an excerpt of their film/video/animation work up to five minutes. The excerpt may be a trailer, the first five minutes of the film, or another edited representation of the film. Students will also be asked to submit a written summary of the film.
How does the student choose which works to include in an Art or Photography Portfolio submission?
Students should submit their best works that exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal vision. Jurors are often looking for consistency of artwork/photography across the portfolio. Please also see the judging rubric that is referenced by our judges:
Judging Rubric for Art and Photography Portfolios
What is the deadline to apply? Where does the student submit the work?
The deadline to submit work is January 7, 2013. To begin the registration process, visit The Scholastic Online Registration System. For more detailed information on how to apply, please visit the VMFA Submission: FAQ and Guidelines For Teachers.
When/how will students be notified if they receive regional awards? Do students who do not receive an award receive feedback?
Regional Award notifications will be sent out on January 16, 2013. Because of the volume of works reviewed in The Awards, we will not provide feedback to individual students. Only award recipients will receive notification.
Do students get scholarships for receiving regional awards or for national awards?
No regional scholarships are given. On the national-level, the Alliance offers $1,000 scholarships for Notable Achievement Portfolios and 15 $10,000 scholarships for Portfolio Gold Award recipients. Graduating seniors receiving national awards in individual categories and Portfolio categories are eligible to seek funding from the participating Alliance Provider Network of Institutions of Higher Education, ranging from $1,000 to full-ride tuition scholarships. Students in grades 7 – 11 who receive regional Gold Keys may apply for $2,500 scholarships to summer art intensive programs/workshops through The Alliance for Young Arts & Writers. For more information please visit What You Can Win.
Who selects Award winners?
The integrity and prestige of The Awards selection process is dependent on having reputable regional and national jurors. These include professional artists, teachers, art administrators, and creative professionals. A list of jurors will be added after January 7, 2013.
What happens to Gold Key work?
National adjudication of Gold Key work takes place in New York City in February 2013, where professional panels of jurors review the work and assign Silver and Gold Medals. National Medalists will be notified of their Awards in March 2013. For more information on the national level of The Scholastic Art Awards, please visit www.artandwriting.org.
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In which categories can students submit work?
The following categories will be available for judging:
1. Architecture
2. Comic Art
3. Ceramic & Glass
4. Digital Art
5. Design
6. Drawing
7. Fashion
8. Film & Animation
9. Jewelry
10. Mixed Media
11. Painting
12. Photography
13. Printmaking
14. Sculpture
15. Video Game*
*National adjudication only. For questions about the Video Games category, please email videogames@artandwriting.org.
The following categories are for high school seniors only:
Art Portfolio
Photography Portfolio
For details regarding individual categories please visit:
http://www.artandwriting.org/Awards.
May students submit more than one work of art?
There is no limit to the number of digital submissions an individual may upload for adjudication.
How does a student prepare work for submission?
Each artwork must be submitted as a JPEG file. Print dimensions must be 5" x 7" or larger. Image resolution must be 300 dpi. Darkroom photography may be scanned at 100% and submitted as a digital photo or JPEG file. Submitted artworks must be no larger than 48" x 48" (special consideration may apply). No physical works will be accepted for adjudication. The quality of your photograph is very important. Please reference the following document for detailed instructions:
Step-by-Step how to Photograph Your Work
Mixed media, 3-D artwork and graphic story works may include additional detail shots. When taking digital pictures of 3-D works, please include a ruler or another object for reference to indicate scale. Teachers are strongly encouraged to recommend students include additional shots.
How does a student prepare an art or photography portfolio for submission?
Graduating seniors are each allowed to submit a body of eight artworks from any category or combination of categories as an Art Portfolio. Please note- the previous categories of art and photography portfolio have been combined. All senior portfolios will be submitted under the Art Portfolio category, regardless of the categories of the individual works included in the portfolio. If a work does not have a title, it must be listed as “Untitled” followed by the appropriate number. For example, Untitled 1. All portfolios must include an artist statement. Works submitted as a portfolio will not be considered for individual adjudication unless the work is also registered as an individual submission.
Is there a submission fee?
Yes, students pay a fee of $5.00 per individual work submitted and $20.00 per portfolio submission. This registration fee may be paid by phone, online, or mailed along with the signed submission forms from the teacher/sponsor. Payment may be made in the form of check, cash, or money order and sent to:
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Attn: Penny Arvin-Arrighi
200 N. Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220
VMFA can accept checks or money orders made out to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. VMFA accepts all major credit cards for over the phone or online payments. A printed receipt for payments made online should be mailed in with all submission forms.
Please note students who are eligible for the National Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program or students for whom fees are a barrier for participation are not required to pay the submission fee. A teacher or administrator must submit a letter on school letterhead. This letter should read: The Scholastic Art Awards fee of [amount] presents a barrier for [student’s name]’s participation in the 2012 program year. Please waive the fee. Please attach the letter to the submission form in place of the submission fee.
No refunds will be offered in the event of overpay or failure to complete submission. All overpayments will be considered a donation to the program.
What do teachers need to do before submitting student work?
Teachers must register themselves through ORS website(http://www.artandwriting.org/registration/) and verify that their school is included in the Online Registration System(ORS). Teachers must have a valid email address in order to successfully register.
How do students submit work?
Students must have a valid email address to apply. As an affiliate of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, VMFA will be accepting only digital submissions. Actual works may not be mailed or delivered to the museum. To submit work, please register by visiting the Scholastic Online Registration System (http://www.artandwriting.org/registration/).
After completing registration and digital image upload, print off the submission form and obtain all required signatures. Students must mail the original, completed, printed form and processing fee to:
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Attn: Penny Arvin-Arrighi
200 N. Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220
Work should be submitted September 17, 2012 – January 7, 2013.
What awards are given?
Regional awards include American Visions, Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention.
American Visions Awards Nominees: Regional affiliates nominate five Gold Key artworks as “Best of Show”. These works are reviewed in a special adjudication for the American Visions Award. One National American Visions Award recipient is recognized nationally from each region.
Gold Key: The Gold Key, The Scholastic Art Awards’ symbol of achievement, is awarded to the best works in each region. These works will go on to the national level of The Scholastic Art Awards and will be eligible for further adjudication. VMFA will host an exhibition and ceremony in February 2013 for Gold and Silver Key winners.
Silver Key: The Silver Key is awarded to artwork demonstrating achievement worthy of recognition on the regional level. Students are recognized with Silver Key lapel pins and certificates which will be presented to them at the ceremony in February 2013. Silver Key work will also be displayed on the VMFA website.
Honorable Mention: This award goes to artwork demonstrating creative potential. Students will be mailed this award.
How will work be judged?
How will work be judged?
Jurors on both regional and national levels will look for works that exemplify the Alliance’s core criteria:
1. Originality: Jurors will look for works that reveal an original approach to process, concept, subject matter, and transcend the parameters of a “classroom assignment.” Exploration of materials, techniques and/or themes should reflect the input of the student in the creative process.
2. Technical Skill: Jurors will look for mastery of a particular medium. Technical proficiency may vary by the medium, grade group, and by the quality of the overall group of work submitted for adjudication. Jurors will look for inventive application of techniques and should be sensitive to works that demonstrate the artist’s willingness to take risks and to experiment with materials, form and content.
3. Emergence of a Personal Vision and Voice: Jurors will look for evidence of the emergence of an individual’s artistic vision or style and the visual expression of tone, form, critical thinking, and concept. Jurors will look for work that represents a sense of the student or works that are individualistic in their presentation, execution, or ideas. Jurors will ask, “Do I come away from the work feeling like I know something about the artist who created it?”
Artwork adjudication will take place on January 12, 2013. Please see the judging rubrics that will be reference by the jurors for more information:
Judging Rubric Grade Grouping I
Judging Rubric Grade Grouping II
Judging Rubric Grade Grouping III
Judging Rubric for Art and Photography Portfolios
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How do students and teachers begin the online registration process?
Before beginning the registration process, students and teachers must have valid email addresses. Click on "Student" or "Teacher" to begin registration. Teachers may use last year's login and password to access their account.
What should a teacher, who can’t find his or her school in the system, do?
Please contact Jessica Bauserman at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts with your school’s information. Once the school has been verified and added to the system, the teacher will receive an email prompting him or her to register. Allow three business days to process and upload the school’s information.
If a student is still working on the submission, should he or she wait until finished to register?
Students should register as soon as possible, including the available information about the work. If the title or materials used for an artwork changes, he or she can log back into the system and click on "Edit Works" to update the information. Remember the student must upload the JPG image of their completed work before the deadline on January 7, 2013. Submissions without the required images will not advance to adjudication. Early registration is highly recommended. The closer it gets to the deadline, the more difficult it may be to assist you.
If a teacher is registered, but cannot remember his or email or password, what should he or she do?
Click on the "forgot email or password" link on the registration login screen. This will prompt the teacher to provide information that will retrieve his or her email address and/or password.
If a student is having trouble with the online registration website, who should he or she contact?
Online Registration System (ORS) can sometimes take time to load or may load incorrectly the first time. Hit "refresh" or "back" on your Internet portal to allow the system time to properly load the page content. Additional troubleshooting tactics include using a different web browser such as Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer.
If the problem persists, please contact Jessica Bauserman, Teen Program Coordinator, at 804.340.1573 or jessica.bauserman@vmfa.museum.
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