Every year, Bowie has students apply to Scholastic Art and Literacy competitions, where they can showcase their creativity. Various students prepare their best works, whether it’s a stunning piece of visual art or an imaginative piece of writing in hopes to captivate the judges.  

“Scholastic competitions are an alliance for young artists and writers in the world,” art teacher Abbot said. “It’s a beginning point for students to learn perspective and be critiqued.”

Kayna Malhotra, an artist a part of the Bowie program was one of only four students of Abbott’s who applied her mixed media project Grief’s Fire to the Fallen. Her piece reflects her unique vision and technique. In the art category, she hopes her multimedia art can catch the judges attention with her originality and deep emotion. 

“My goal was to create something personal yet universal,” Malhotra said. “Technique wise I wanted my canvas to tell a story.”

Teachers continue to support and give positive feedback to Malhotra. When reviewing students’ art they point out that judges review entries based on creativity, originality, and technical skill. Abbot reminds Malhotra that winning isn’t about a prize in art but hard work, talent, and the experience. 

 “She exemplifies a good amount of responsibility and creativity that carries over in her art,” Abbot said. “My students have a tendency to overthink these competitions, when all they need to remember is that they are going to be judged based on their creativity.”

These scholastic competitions not only celebrate individuals creativity but also inspire a young community of artists and writers to pursue their passions worldwide.

“This is my first ever application of art into a judged portfolio so far, but it’s expanded my knowledge of art,” Malhotra said. “The competition process is simple but fun, which is why in the future I would like to continue competing.”