Congratulations 2021 Chicago Scholastic Writing Awards recipients!

View the full list of works recognized in the Chicago Writing Region of the 2021 Scholastic Writing Awards below!

A panel of professional novelists, editors, teachers, poets, librarians, journalists, and other literary professionals selected these works from nearly 400 works submitted this year:

• 95 Honorable Mentions awarded to promising works
• 57 Silver Keys awarded to distinguished works
• 33 Gold Keys awarded to the most accomplished works
• 5 American Voice Nominees selected as the strongest regional works

Gold Keys are automatically forwarded for consideration at the national level of the Scholastic Writing Awards.

It costs Writopia over $50,000 to run the Scholastic Writing Awards in four regions. Please donate today to help support this important work. Thank you!

To recognize their outstanding work, this year's Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention recipients are invited, along with their guests, teachers, and our esteemed jurors, to a nationwide online Awards Ceremony for regional Scholastic Writing Awards recipients!

• Date: Sunday, March 7th, 2021
• Time: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET
• Keynote Speaker: David Levithan
• RSVP form link

American Voices Nominees

These Gold Key works were selected by our jurors for consideration as the Chicago Writing Region's National American Voices Medal Nominees:

• Maeve Healy of Latin School Of Chicago, for “Cocaine Sunflowers” (Personal Essay & Memoir)
• Sara Kumar of University of Chicago Laboratory School, for “The Dance of the Cornfields” (Short Story)
• James Lee of Glenbrook North High School, for “Nothing Ever Ends: Watchmen's Visions Of America” (Critical Essay)
• Kyla Pereles of Oak Park & River Forest High School, for “Manifestos For My People” (Poetry)
• Alexander Wilson of Roycemore School, for “Waiting in the Trees” (Personal Essay & Memoir)

2021 Chicago Scholastic Awards