An accomplished writer and artist, Laguna Blanca’s Zoe Serbin(eleventh grade) won three writing awards for her work on The Fourth Estate student newspaper and seven artawards for her drawings in the California Region of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S., and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.
Identifying teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent, the competition brings remarkable works to a national audience. The Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923 and a noteworthy roster of past winners including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates. To date, the Awards have encouraged over 13 million students, recognized more than 9 million young artists and writers, and made available more than $25 million in awards and scholarships.
Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 regional affiliates across the country to bring the program to local communities. Teens in grades 7 through 12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published.
Zoe, who submitted her artwork and literature into the same contest last year, was satisfied with the experience and decided to enter more of her work again this year. “I spent days searching through mounds of my sketchbooks in order to find the appropriate works to submit,” explains Zoe.
Drawing since the age of five, Zoe was first inspired by a gift from her grandmother—a “How To” book. But apparently Zoe didn’t even consider drawing as a passion until ninth grade when she suffered a concussion. “I couldn’t do anything for a month, so I drew in my spare time and realized how much I loved it. Then, I took Ms. Louie’s art class in tenth grade and everything fell into place.”
Zoe cites Tyson Hesse, Der-shing Helmer, Allie Brosh, Gris Grimly, Karie Smith, and Tim Burton as some of her favorite artists, and she plans to pursue animation. She’s also very proud of a musical she is currently co-writing. “It’s a detour from drawing, but just another way I get to expand on my writing capabilities and experiences,” she says. “The musical debuts in August at Center Stage Theatre. “We haven’t finished it yet, but we already have people who want to participate—that’s a great accomplishment!”
A couple of Zoe’s winning works:
