Fourteen Mississippi School of the Arts literary students received more than 80 awards in the 2021 Scholastic Writing Competition. Their works will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the Eudora Welty House in Jackson.

Winners include:

• Maleigh Crespo, senior, of Foxworth — one of only five American Voice Nominations, a Silver Key for senior portfolio, two Gold Keys, seven Silver Keys and four honorable mentions.
• Hannah Hays, senior, of Brandon — a Silver Key for senior portfolio, a Silver Key and two honorable mentions.
• Morgan Love, senior, of Jackson — a Silver Key for senior portfolio, a Gold Key, four Silver Keys and three honorable mentions.
• Azya Lyons, senior, of Jackson — a Silver Key and an honorable mention for senior portfolio, a Gold Key, five Silver Keys and one honorable mention.
• Callie Matthews, senior, of Meridian — an honorable mention for senior portfolio, three Gold Keys, eight Silver Keys and two honorable mentions.
• Stephyne Weatherby, senior, of Byram — an honorable mention for senior portfolio, two Gold Keys, four Silver Keys and two honorable mentions.
• Brianna Cox, senior, of Lumberton — two Silver Keys and two honorable mentions.
• Katie Spiers, senior, of Hattiesburg — three Silver Keys and two honorable mentions.
• Lauren Stamps, junior, of Mt. Olive — two Gold Keys and two honorable mentions.
• Sydney Knotts, junior, of Soso — one Silver Key and three honorable mentions.
• Taylor Lafayette, junior, of Benoit — one Silver Key.
• Diego Mendez, junior, of Wesson — four Silver Keys and an honorable mention.
• Madison White, junior, of Summit — one Silver Key and four honorable mentions.
• Lillian Denney, junior, of Picayune — two honorable mentions.

Students from all over Mississippi competed in the Mississippi Regional Competition. Categories included critical essay, dramatic script, flash fiction, humor, journalism, novel writing, personal essay and memoir, poetry, science fiction and fantasy, short story, and — for seniors only — writing portfolio. The submissions are juried by artists in the field. Among the thousands of writings submitted, only a small percentage will go to the national level. Jurors look for works that exemplify the Awards’ core values: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. American Voices (which are the top five) and Gold Key recipients will advance to the national competition.