New York, NY (June 8, 2004) -- Today, more than 1,100 of America's most talented young artists and writers from across the country were announced as the winners of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2004, the highly esteemed scholarship program that has honored distinguished past winners such as: Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Joyce Maynard, Joyce Carol Oates and Bernard Malamud. This year's national student winners, from junior high and high schools across the country, were chosen from 250,000 submissions and share in more than $1million in scholarships. Twelve of the students were awarded with the National Gold Portfolio Award, the highest level of achievement and will each receive a $10,000 cash award.
 
On June 10th, 2004 the award-winning students will be celebrated by award-winning actress Edie Falco from HBO's “The Sopranos,” Hip-Hop mogul and community activist Russell Simmons, and world-renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg at The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In addition, student artwork will be on public display in national exhibits at The Diane von Furstenberg Studio in New York from June 10-12, followed by a more expansive exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., June 19 - August 2.
 
As part of the celebrations, the young artists and writers will also participate in a special NYC Experience program, which includes a series of cultural and career seminars at professional institutions including Sotheby's, NBC, MTV, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New York Public Library and at leading museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Guggenheim Museum and Whitney Museum.
 
“Every year, the students recognized by The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards exemplify the creativity and talent being cultivated in our nation's classrooms,” said BJ Adler, executive director of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. “For the first time in 25 years, we are bringing back the awards ceremony to the nation's cultural capital and introducing the NYC Experience, to help broaden the students' horizons and give them the confidence to pursue their careers in the arts.”
 
During its 81-year history The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, administered by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers a not-for-profit organization, has offered more than $20 million in cash and college scholarships to more than 12 million junior high and high school students (grades 7-12) who have participated. Each year, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards receive more than 250,000 works of art and writing, submitted through 90 regional affiliate programs across the nation for consideration in 26 categories of art and writing.
 
The student entries are evaluated locally and nationally by a panel of jurors comprised of renowned artists, authors, educators and arts professionals. Notable past and current jurors include Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, William Saroyan, Frank McCourt, Andy Rooney, Judy Blume, KiKi Smith, George Plimpton and Philip Pearlstein.
 
This year's twelve elite Gold Portfolio Winners (listed below), represent the highest level of achievement in The Awards and the most talented young artists and writers in America. In addition to being honored at the Carnegie Hall awards ceremony, these select winners will be special guests at a private benefit dinner at The Plaza Hotel in New York.
 
2004 Art Gold Portfolio Winners:
 
Harold Batista, age 18, Lake Worth, FL
Julia Chesky, age 18, Longmeadow, MA
Christopher Culver, age 18, Miami, FL
Jonathan Drummond, age 18, Dayton, OH
Francis Hamill, age 17, Wauwatosa, WI
Jeremy Hyman, age 17, Reisterstown, MD
Kenneth Roberts, age 18, Miami, FL
 
2004 Writing Gold Portfolio Winners:
 
Brittany Cavallaro, age 17, Elmhurst, IL
Lauren Fraley, age 17, Taylor Mill, KY
Hannah Jones, age 17, Brooklyn, NY
Amy Kaufman, age 17, Newton, MA
Hallie Rundle, age 18, New Orleans, LA
 
The entire list of 2004 national winners will be available online this fall at www.artandwriting.org .
 
About The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
M.R. Robinson, the founder of Scholastic Inc., established The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 1923, and the Company continues to be the program's largest corporate sponsor. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Inc. was founded in 1994 as a not-for-profit organization to administer The Awards and to expand its program for young people in the arts. The Alliance's mission is to recognize, encourage and reward young artists and writers, to empower arts educators by supporting and rewarding their classroom efforts and to cultivate creativity that is critical for the future of America's cultural heritage. For more information about The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards please visit www.artandwriting.org .
 
Scholastic Inc. is the title sponsor of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The 2004 presenting sponsors are: The New York Times, Accenture, JP MorganChase and The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation.
 
The exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art is supported in part by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities through an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

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