Entries submitted by Ellis students for award consideration included personal essays, memoirs, and critical essays on a diverse array of topics, including identity and cultural assimilation, the inequitable treatment of women through history, harmful beauty standards, prison art, and literary analyses of texts ranging from horror films to classic fiction.

“The Scholastic Writing Awards and the regional ceremony that recognizes its winners give students a chance to expand the audience for their compositions, sharing their authentic insights into any number of subjects with personal meaning to them,” says Dr. Anna Redcay, Ellis English Department Chair. “I’m continually impressed that our Ellisan writers infuse their formal school assignments with arguments, research, and perceptions reflective of their lived experiences and values.”

In total, Ellis students earned 12 Gold Key awards, 14 Silver Key awards, and 10 honorable mentions. All Gold Key winners will be considered for national awards, including medals and scholarships.

Senior Katriel Camp also received an American Voices nomination for her Gold Key-winning critical essay, entitled The Dilemma of Assimilation: What it Means to Make Your Name “American.” American Voices nominations recognize pieces of writing that display an original, authentic voice and are granted to five students within each regional program. One nominee from each region will be selected for an American Voices Award by a national panel of jurors.

“I am honored to have received the Scholastic Gold Key Award and American Voices Award nomination, and to have the opportunity to represent Ellis,” says Katriel. “My essay is about the difficulties immigrants have faced, both during the waves of Ellis Island immigration and in modern society with maintaining their culture through keeping their birth name, or opting to change it to fit American norms. I am so appreciative to my teachers here at Ellis for helping me grow as a writer and getting me to the place I am in today. I would encourage students to consider submitting to the Scholastic Awards in the future!"

Now in its 100th year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, celebrating the work of students in grades 7–12 in 28 categories of art and writing. 

The full list of Ellis students who received 2023 Scholastic Writing Awards is included below: