Darlington senior Abraham Johnson was recently recognized with several accolades in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition as one of Georgia's top five high school student writers.
Johnson submitted six original stories into the competition, four of which received regional Honorable Mention awards, one which received a Regional Silver Key award, and one which received a Regional Gold Key award and nominations for the national American Voices Award and National Gold Key award.
Next month National Gold Key award winners will be selected, and one winner will be chosen from each state by a juried panel for the national American Voices Award.
“I’ve written ever since I was a little kid,” said Johnson. “It’s the ability to relate to people and work out the stuff into my head that makes sense.”
Johnson won an honorable mention in the same competition as a sophomore for an original short story, and again as a junior when he took home a Regional Gold Key award for a personal memoir.
“I've kind of changed with each and every submission that I have written,” said Johnson. “This year was the first time that I ventured more into humor writing, which I plan to keep up.”
As a part of the senior's accomplishments, his work will be on virtual display throughout the month of March at the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Johnson is no stranger to the written and spoken word. During his freshman and sophomore years, he was recognized with the Most Creative Submission award from The Inkslinger, Darlington's literary magazine. He has written and directed a campus favorite, a one-act play entitled "Don Flough." In April, Johnson will debut another show on campus called "9 Mile," a musical parody based on the films "Good Will Hunting" and "8 Mile." Johnson is the son of Laurie and Dan Johnson of Rome.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have been in existence since 1923, recognizing the vision, ingenuity, and talent of the nation’s youth, providing opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated as an awards arm of The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. A variety of work is submitted each year including poetry, film, photography and sculpture.
Past winners of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have included a young Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford and Andy Warhol.
During the 2014 program year alone, students across the nation submitted over 255,000 original works. Through the program, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarship.
Click here for more information about The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition.
