Scholastic Keys 2021

This year was my second year submitting to the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. The regional awards (“keys”) were announced a few weeks ago. I was proud of myself no matter what the results were, but I was very excited to recieve multiple awards.

I did not expect to receive any recognition for many of the photographs that won an award. Photography is all about perception, and without an artist’s statement, judges could judge a photo and perceive it in a very different way than another judge. I actually hosted an enrichment photography class for elementary students about this lesson! For that reason, it is important to take risks because you do not have anything to lose, but you do have something to gain! You can either gain an award or the reassurance that you tried your best. Additionally, awards do not 100% of the time equate to good photographs and “bad” photographs because everyone perceives every photograph differently. Everyone has their own eye attached to their camera!