NEW YORK, NY–( EMWNews – April 8, 2008) – Who are the most talented young writers and

artists in America? The Scholastic

Art & Writing Awards, a national program that identifies and develops

creative teenagers, today announced the 2008 recipients of the prestigious

Awards, including twelve high school seniors honored with the highest level

of achievement, the Portfolio Gold Award. The twelve recipients (listed

below) will each receive a $10,000 cash award and special recognition.

More than 1,100 of America’s most talented junior high and high school

students (grades 7-12) representing nearly every state in the country were

chosen to receive national awards, as well as opportunities for writing and

art scholarships. An additional $3 million in art and writing scholarships

is made available to top seniors for their outstanding work. (To find out

who in your state received a national award, click here.)

On June 5, Award recipients of 2008 will be honored at a special ceremony

at Carnegie Hall in New York City. To celebrate the Awards’ 85th year

anniversary, Portfolio and other selected work will be showcased at

exhibitions in three highly respected Manhattan galleries: White Columns

(May 29-June 7), Reeves Contemporary (June 4-7) and NYArts Gallery

(June 2-13).

“Since Scholastic’s founder M.R. Robinson established the Art & Writing

Awards, the program has been an oasis for the more than 13 million creative

young people who have participated,” said Bryan Doerries, Program Director

of the nonprofit Alliance for Young

Artists & Writers, which administers the Awards. “For 85 years, the

Awards has recognized teenagers who have become some of the country’s most

significant artists and writers — and we will continue to encourage new

generations on their journeys.”

Distinguished past recipients include Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, Sue

Miller, Richard Avedon, Zac Posen, Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Otterness, Sylvia

Plath, John Lithgow, Joyce Maynard, David Salle and Francine Prose, who

received recognition when they were in high school.

Recipients of the art scholarships through the 2008 Art Portfolio Gold

Award are James Bertucci of Frankfort, Illinois; Rivca Dubuisson of Miami,

Florida; Jordan Stearns of Towson, Maryland; Shawn Smith of Interlochen,

Michigan and Francisca Wistuba of Houston, Texas. Recipients of the

writing scholarships through the Writing Portfolio Gold Awards are Victoria

Cole of Greenville, South Carolina; Jasmine Hu of San Jose, California;

Emma Morrison of Brooklyn, New York; Virginia Pfaehler of Mount Pleasant,

South Carolina and Vivian Truong of Brooklyn, New York. The two

Photography Portfolio Gold Award recipients are Rodney Jones of Dundalk,

Maryland and Wilmer Wilson of Petersburgh, Virginia.

Each year, the Alliance receives thousands of works of art and writing,

submitted through regional affiliate programs across the nation for

consideration in 25 categories of art and writing. The submissions are

evaluated locally and nationally by a panel of jurors comprised of renowned

artists, authors, educators and arts professionals.

Please visit www.artandwriting.org for more information about the Alliance

for Young Artists and Writers and The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

**Interviews, images of art, works of writing and a complete list of the

2008 Scholastic Art & Writing Award Recipients are available upon

request.**