Talented teens draw an A-list crowd, including Tina Fey and Rose Byrne, at this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
How do you get to meet celebrities Tina Fey and Rose Byrne in the same evening? These talented teens know the answer is you’ve got to “get creative.”
Golden Globe Award-winning actress, writer, and producer Tina Fey and Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress Rose Byrne joined the New York Life Foundation to congratulate winners of the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest running and most prestigious program for recognizing creative teens. The awards took place at the esteemed concert hall this June, presented by the non-profit Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.
The New York Life Foundation celebrated the winners of the New York Life Award, which offers scholarships of $1,000 to bereaved teens who personally experienced the death of a loved one. The New York Life Foundation Award provides six scholarships of $1,000 each to students whose work exemplifies how art can act as a positive outlet to cope with grief and raise public awareness of the issue of youth bereavement.
The 2019 New York Life Award Recipients:
Zoe Chen, Age 18, Lynnfield, MA; Drawing and Illustration: Pulling Tight
Eric Schlesinger, Age 17, Naperville, IL; Film & Animation: The Kids Say Hello
Sofia Liaw, Age 18, Fayetteville, NY; Personal Essay/Memoir: Split Ends
Makayla Wach, Age 16, Pittsburgh, PA; Short Story: It Is What It Is
Brian Wee, Age 18, Erie, PA; Personal Essay/Memoir: Hug Coupons and Shoe Boxes
More than 2,700 teens in grades 7–12, ages 13 and up, from the U.S., Canada, and American schools abroad received national recognition, including 16 high school seniors who received the program's highest national honor—the Gold Medal Portfolio—along with a $10,000 scholarship. The Alliance annually provides more than $300,000 in scholarships to top Awards recipients and continually partners with esteemed colleges and universities to make scholarships available for college-bound National Medalists.
Since 2015, the New York Life Foundation has partnered with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to back scholarships specifically for teenagers whose work exemplifies how art and writing can serve as positive outlets for bereaved young people.
About the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and are made possible through the generosity of Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, New York Life Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Command Web Offset Co., The New York Times, Blick Art Materials & Utrecht Art Supplies, The Herb Block Foundation, Golden Artist Colors, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Entertainment Software Association Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Amazon Literary Partnership, and numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Poetry Foundation.
Visit the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to find out more about them.
Go back to our newsroom to read more stories.
Media contact
Lacey Siegel
New York Life Insurance Company
(212) 576-7937
Lacey_S_Siegel@newyorklife.com
Related content