Wilkes University will host the Scholastic Writing Awards Ceremony for the northeastern Pennsylvania region on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in the Henry Student Center. Student honorees as well as their teachers and family members will attend the ceremony.
For this year’s awards, the northeastern Pennsylvania region received over 100 entries, with 30 winners of gold keys, silver keys and honorable mentions, along with two nominees for the national American Voices awards.
“We’re incredibly proud to host the northeastern Pennsylvania region’s Scholastic Writing Awards, which showcases the incredible array of writing talent we have in the area,” says David Hicks, director of the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes University. “Besides honoring them for their brilliant poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, we get to introduce them to our beautiful campus and celebrate them with readings and a reception.”
The program, beginning at 1 p.m., is as follows:
- Welcome address by David Hicks, director of the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing
- Opening remarks by Cynthia Kolanowski, Scholastic Writing Awards regional coordinator
- Keynote address by Assétou Xango, poet/memoirist and graduate of the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing
- Presentation of student awards by Jade Heid, essayist/poet and graduate of Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing
- American Voices student nominee readings
- Closing remarks by Cynthia Kolanowski, Scholastic Writing Awards regional coordinator
A closing reception begins at 2 p.m.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative youth. Teens in grades 7–12, age 13 years and older, are invited to enter their art or writing for the chance to win recognition, publication, exhibition and up to $12,500 in scholarships.
Wilkes University is proud to serve as the northeastern Pennsylvania regional affiliate for the writing competition and support NEPA’s next generation of writers. Learn more at artandwriting.org.