Social Media Strategy
Our social media channels aim to share eye-catching, inspiring content that drives awareness and encourages creative teens to apply to the Awards. We proactively seek opportunities to highlight our partners and regional programs across our three active platforms:
Follow and tag us:
- Instagram: @artandwriting
- Facebook: @ScholasticArtandWritingAwards
- TikTok: @artandwritingawards
- Hashtag: #scholasticawards #goldkey
(Please note: We no longer actively post or engage on Twitter/X.)
Follow us! Connecting with our main accounts helps us track, identify, and boost your engagement (likes, shares, comments, and reposts). Embed, link, or repost content from the Alliance's social media accounts, or use these assets to create your own.
Promoting the Awards on Your Handles
When you post about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, remember that you are introducing teens, educators, and parents to a national legacy of creative recognition. Keep these key principles in mind:
- Use Our Brand Voice: Keep your tone encouraging, celebratory, authentic, and youth-focused. Speak directly to teens’ creative potential.
- Include a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Tell your audience exactly what step to take next (e.g., "Visit the link in our bio to create your account," "Deadline is Dec 1," or "Explore entry guidelines today").
- Focus on High Quality: Clear visuals, clean lighting, and engaging video hooks make a huge difference in driving participation.
Tagging, Hashtags & Collaboration Rules
Building a successful social campaign relies on connecting with our team and community:
- Tag Us & Use Official Hashtags: Always tag the Awards in your photos, captions, and reels. Use our official hashtag #GoldKey so we can find and feature your content.
- Do Not Create Custom Hashtags: To prevent audience confusion and keep tracking centralized, please do not create new or standalone hashtags related to the Scholastic Awards without prior awareness and approval from our team.
- Instagram Collaborative Posts: Affiliates and partners are encouraged to invite @artandwriting as a collaborator on Instagram posts or Reels.
- Please note: We reserve the right to review, accept, or decline co-authorship requests and may provide feedback or adjustments regarding images, video quality, or copy prior to accepting.
Best Practices for Posts
To maximize your reach and resonance, follow these proven social media best practices:
- Use High-Quality Visuals: Bright, high-resolution imagery performs best. Show students actively creating art, writing, or showing their works is best.
- Prioritize Short-Form Video: Reels and short-form video often receive the highest engagement. Quick clips (5–15 seconds) with trending audio or voiceovers highlighting student work or key deadlines perform well.
- Tell Impactful, Authentic Stories: Share meaningful quotes from local teen winners, judges, or dedicated educators to humanize the opportunity.
- Stay Relevant & Timely: Align your content calendar with key regional milestones—such as opening for entries, approaching deadlines, and local award announcements.
Sample Social Media Posts & Copy Templates
To make promoting the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards as seamless as possible, we’ve created pre-written post templates for key moments throughout the program year. Whether you’re launching your call for entries, sending out last-minute deadline reminders, or celebrating your regional Gold Key and scholarship winners, these templates are ready to copy, customize, and share.
How to use these templates:
- Fill in the bracketed information [like this] with your region's specific details, dates, and social handles before posting.
- Keep the tag @artandwriting intact so our national team can track, like, and share your posts!
- Pair with official visuals: Access our social media images, story frames, and GIFs.
Sample Post 1: Open for Entries & October 1 Announcement
[Download graphics for call for entries]
Attention teens! 🎨✍️ The [Region] of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are officially open for entries!
As the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, the Awards celebrate the future of talent—and that means YOU. Whether you write poetry, paint, or shoot photography, your voice deserves to be heard.
🗓️ Key Date: Open for entries now through [REGION DEADLINE].
How to enter: 1️⃣ Follow @artandwriting and [@YourHandle] for regional updates. 2️⃣ Click the link in our bio to set up your account and enter your work.
Show the world what you can do! ✨
#ScholasticAwards #ArtAndWriting #TeenArtists #TeenWriters #GoldKey
Sample Post 2: Final Deadline Reminder
[Download graphics for deadlines here]
⏳ Final Countdown! The deadline for the [Region] of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is almost here!
Before time runs out, make sure you:
✅ Create an account
✅ Know your deadline
✅ Upload your work
✅ Obtain parent approval
✅ Opt into scholarships
✅ Pay for work or use a fee waiver
✅ YOU ARE READY
🔗 Link in bio to finalize your application before [Insert Date/Time]! Tag a creative friend who needs to finish their entry today! 👇
#ScholasticAwards #TeenArt #TeenWriting #LastCall
Sample Post 3: Announcing Regional Winners
[Download graphic for announcing regional winners here]
🏆 ANNOUNCING OUR WINNERS! 🏆
Huge congratulations to the incredible young artists and writers who received regional awards—Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key—in this year's Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the [Region Name] region! 🥳✨
Out of thousands of entries across our region, these works stood out for their exceptional originality, skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision. All Gold Key-winning work is now moving on to national judging in New York City! 🗽🎉
👏 Drop a comment below to congratulate our [Year] regional winners! 🔗
Follow @artandwriting as national results are announced later this spring!
#ScholasticAwards #GoldKey #ScholarshipWinners #ArtAndWriting
Additional Social Media Resources
You can use these videos to promote the Awards in your region! Add in your logo and/or a message, and they're ready to post.
