Literary Arts students of the Mississippi School of the Arts, including Christopher Aaron of Bogue Chitto and Shelly Castilaw of Wesson, recently received over 40 awards in the prestigious Regional Scholastic Creative Writing Competition.

Christopher Aaron of Bogue Chitto received one Silver Key and one Honorable Mention. Shelly Castilaw of Wesson, who — in addition to two honorable mentions ­­— received one Gold Key, will advance to the national competition.

MSA students received six Gold Keys, 17 Silver Keys and 18 honorable mentions, in addition to one of only nine Senior Portfolio winners and one of only five American Voices Nominations/Best in Show.

Writing entries represented diverse categories, including dramatic script, humor, journalism, personal essay/memoir, short story, poetry, science fiction/fantasy, as well as general fiction and non-fiction portfolios.

Entries receiving American Voices nominations and Gold Key awards, the highest level of achievement, will be advanced to New York City to compete in the national competition along with winners from 80 other regions. Students advancing to the national level, in addition to Castilaw, are: Amory Campbell of Jackson, who won a Gold Key and an American Voices nomination for Best in Show, among other awards; Delaney Harper of Pearl, who won two Gold Keys, among other awards; Sydney Lucero of New Hebron, who won two Gold Keys, among other awards.

The regional competition is hosted by The Eudora Welty House, in conjunction with the Eudora Welty Foundation.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, a nonprofit whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent, and then present their remarkable work to the world.

The Eudora Welty Foundation is the state’s affiliate for the writing awards, working in partnership with the Eudora Welty House, a museum of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Through the awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships.

A total of 16 MSA students won awards in this competition.