Claire Ashmead '12, Erika Jobson '12, Joyce Guo '13 and Isabella Nilsson '16 are national winners in this year's Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. These students each received awards for their original works of creative writing. Of the seven awards in the Writing category given to students in the Northeast Ohio region, five were claimed by HB girls.

Claire Ashmead won an American Voices Medal (a "Best in Region" designation) for her poetry. Erika Jobson was awarded a Silver Medal for her personal essay/memoir. Joyce Guo won two Silver Medals: one for short story, one for humor writing. And Isabella Nilsson received a Silver Medal for flash fiction.

All of these students have been invited to a National Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June, where they will be recognized for their achievements, along with their teachers. Ashmead, Jobson, and Guo are mentored by Scott Parsons, director of HB's Osborne Writing Center. Nilsson's writing mentor is Middle School English teacher Susan Levitan.

Congratulations to these award-winning writers!

About the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923 and a noteworthy roster of past winners including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates.

The Awards are an important opportunity for students to be recognized for their creative talents. Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual and literary-arts focused organizations across the country to bring The Awards to local communities. Teens in grades 7 through 12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published.

Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

To date, the Awards have encouraged over 13 million students, recognized more than 9 million young artists and writers, and made available more than $25 million in awards and scholarships. They continue to be the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S., and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.