{"id":687,"date":"2025-04-15T17:07:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T21:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writopialab.org\/writopiaspeaks\/?p=687"},"modified":"2025-11-19T14:42:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T19:42:56","slug":"the-2025-scholastic-writing-awards-in-the-hudson-to-housatonic-region-of-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writopialab.org\/writopiaspeaks\/the-2025-scholastic-writing-awards-in-the-hudson-to-housatonic-region-of-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2025 Scholastic Writing Awards in the Hudson to Housatonic Region of New York"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By L\u00e9na Roy, Director of Teen Programs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On March 30th, 2025, 250 teen writers\u2014and their families\u2014came to Reid Castle at Manhattanville College to be celebrated for winning Scholastic Writing Awards in the Hudson to Housatonic region in New York. Out of over 2,500 pieces submitted to the H2H region, 169 received gold keys, 266 received silver keys, and 476 received Honorable Mentions. The event was produced by the regional Affiliate of The Awards, Writopia Lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire Breslow, 15, gave a cold open, performing one of her poems. Writopia\u2019s Director of Teen Programs, Lena Roy, warmly welcomed everyone to the event, quoted the founder of The Awards, Dick Robinson \u2014  \u201cTeen writers deserve as much celebration as teen athletes!\u201d \u2014 and invited Writopia Founder Rebecca Wallace-Segall to the stage. Rebecca invited the first half of the award winners to come to claim their moment at the mic to share their name and why they love to write. Notably, many said they love to write because it helps them understand themselves and others, feel connected, and because, well, it\u2019s fun.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interspersed throughout were readings from H2H\u2019s American Voices nominees. Congrats to Shirin Sadoughi<\/strong>, <\/strong>Arielle Sibley-Grice<\/strong>, <\/strong>Harry Kaufman<\/strong>, Glen Feng<\/strong>, and Mia Bornstein. <\/strong>One highlight: right before the ceremony, we asked and immediately found three writers to volunteer to perform an excerpt from Harry\u2019s play \u2014 and they did an incredible job! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toward the middle of the ceremony came a special celebration of middle schoolers. A few years ago, local author Joe Wallace launched The Village Bookstore Prizes as a way to encourage the youngest of the teen writers to keep writing. This year, the prizes went to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Anna Liu, Rumsey Hall School: “Choosing Kindness” (Personal Essay\/Memoir)<\/li>
  • Milan Ackerman, New Paltz Middle School: “Reminders” (Short Story)<\/li>
  • Emma Wolff, Rye Country Day School: “Social Media Storm” (Dramatic Script)<\/li>
  • Erin Lang, Robert E. Bell Middle School: “Still Me” (Poem)<\/li>
  • Gianna Lopez, Somers Middle School: “TITLE” (Poem)<\/li>
  • Heidi Balkan, Greens Farms Academy: “Washed Away” (Poem)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, it was time for our keynote speaker, Writopia alum Maxine Charles, to inspire us with tales of her own irreverent perseverance. She left the room invigorated by her insistence to preserve her authentic voice as she has navigated her role as editor at Flatiron Books, and has recently obtained an agent for her first novel. Maxine\u2019s most notable books that she has edited so far are The Deep Sky<\/em> by Yume Kitasei and The Scorpion Queen<\/em> by Mina Fears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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