Check out Nancy Canevari’s short story: The View From Paris 
 
Beginning in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized creative talent in America’s youth. The awards that they present range from recognizing young artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, video game artists and science fiction writers, to recognizing educators who support and encourage creativity.
This year, senior Nancy Canevari won a Gold Key and an Honorable Mention at the regional level for two of her short stories, “The View From Paris,” and “Portrait of a Fury” after submitting both pieces in December.
“The View From Paris” centers around four children during World War II, who for various reasons, have to hide from the Nazis, and the woman who hides them in her hotel. “Portrait of Fury” is about a student traveling home to her family after studying abroad. An artist who she has just met travels along with her, acting as the woman’s guide under the condition that she help him find his wife who is in the military and has been stationed overseas, once they reach her home country.
“[When I found out] I was so excited; I was jumping up and down,” said Canevari. “I’ve submitted pieces in the past, and I actually won a Region Gold Key my freshman year as well, so winning another one this year was almost like coming full circle. It was really incredible.”
The awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit. The organization’s mission is to “identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.”
By winning an award, a student can receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. The 2016 program accepted nearly 320,000 works from students across America.
In addition to writing short stories and various other literary projects, Canevari has been working on a manuscript for the past five years. “I would love to make writing my career,” said Canevari. “I plan on studying English and education in college, but I also plan on having a side career in creative writing. It would be really great if one day [creative writing] could be my full career.”
For those interested entering the next awards process, “Just start writing—the best thing you can do to improve your writing is to practice, practice, practice,” said Canevari. “Find inspiration in the world around you, because it’s really surprising to see just how much inspiration can be found in real life, in books and movies, in the news, in nature, etc.”
For students interested in the arts, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards may be a great platform to try your talents and be recognized for them.