Columbia High School and South Orange Middle Schoolstudents join the ranks of writers Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, and Joyce Carol Oates in earning kudos in the 2012-2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Regional winners of the competition have been announced; those students who have earned a "Gold Key" will see their work advance in the competition.

Abigail Baker won a Silver Key for short story "D Prime" and a Gold Key for a poetry collection.

Chloe Lawrence won a honorable mention for a science fiction/fantasy, "The Land of Falan."

Anna Ferguson won honorable mention for personal essay/memoir, "Scattered."

Student submissions are judged by luminaries in the literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Notable past jurors include Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Judy Blume, Paula Poundstone, Lesley Stahl, Billy Collins, and David Sedaris.

Panelists look for works that best exemplify the Awards’ core values:  originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. In the past five years, submissions have topped 700,000 works, and students have been eligible for over $25 million in awards and scholarships.