New York City teens featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Do you live in the New York City area?

Do you have plans to visit the Big Apple before May 17?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then be sure to add this to your to-do list: Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Met is undoubtedly one of the world’s largest and finest museums—with collections spanning more than 5,000 years of world culture. Last week, some exciting new artists and writers were added to the museum’s impressive collection… New York City-based Gold Key winners in the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards!

The 2015 New York City Regional Exhibition at the Met’s Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education is FREE and open to the public during regular museum hours through May 17, 2015, and features approximately 500 original works of art and writing from the talented young winners in this year’s regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the country's longest-running and most prestigious award and recognition program for creative teens. These students follow in the footsteps of notable Awards alumni including Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon, whose iconic works are featured steps away in the Metropolitan’s main collections.

This year, more than 3,100 talented students in grades 7–12 submitted more than 9,000 works in 28 categories to the New York City Regional Affiliates of the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, representing students from over 300 schools in all five boroughs. All works were blindly adjudicated based on originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. The pieces on display at the Met received the top regional award, making them eligible to receive national honors through a second round of judging, which can open further opportunities for exhibition and publication, as well as access to scholarships. You can view the full list of 2015 National winners here.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards New York City Regional Exhibition at the Met to see the best of the best young artists and writers from all five boroughs.

Don’t forget to use #AWawards on social media!