PHS’s Guidry wins Alliance for Young Writers awards

Perry High School sophomore Eli Guidry

won Alliance for Young Writers awards this month. He received three Silver

Keys for three short stories he entered into the 2013 Scholastic Art and

Writing competition (SAWC). Eli and his English teacher, Susan Bray, have

been invited to an awards banquet on March 23, at the Savannah College of Art

and Design (SCAD) Atlanta campus.

The SAWC is celebrating its 90^th year and is widely considered

the most prestigious teen writing competition in America. Eli’s stories,

listed by category and title, are:

· Flash Fiction, “Impact,”

· Humor, “Corporate Policy,” and

·  Short Story, “Call Me Mona.”

“Creative writing is not

merely a social artifact nor is it simply a reflection of contemporary culture,”

said Eli.  “Creative writing involves building something out of nothing

through the sheer force of human will; a singular act of creation. I would

like to give credit to the English Departments at both Perry Middle and Perry

High for providing me with the foundation necessary to write, compete and win

on a national level.”




The Georgia Writing

Region competition is sponsored and administrated by SCAD. The Scholastic Art

& Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923 and

noteworthy past winners such as Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon,

Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates. 

The regional awards consist of

Gold and Silver Keys and honorable mention.  The Gold Key is the highest

level of achievement which is awarded to approximately 7 – 10 percent of all

regional submissions.  Eli’s Silver Key award is given to only

approximately 10 – 15 percent of all regional entries. And approximately 15 –

20 percent of regional submissions receive Honorable Mention Awards for

artistic potential.

Submissions are juried by luminaries

in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients.

Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and

the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

HHJ News