[5] The program links the National Student Poets with audiences and neighborhood resources such as museums and libraries, and other community-anchor institutions and builds upon the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' long-standing work with educators and creative teens through the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
The Poets’ appointment events are hosted in cooperation with the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and held in conjunction with the National Book Festival.
[citation needed] The selection panels for both regional and national levels of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are composed of artists,[6] writers, curators, critics, educators, and professionals from the nation’s leading creative industries,[6] some of whom are alums of the Scholastic Awards.
Notable past jurors include Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, David Sedaris, Judy Blume, Bill Murray, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Mary Ellen Mark, William Saroyan, Sergio Troncoso, Frank McCourt, Kiki Smith, George Plimpton, Esmeralda Santiago, Tatiana von Fürstenberg, Madeleine L’Engle, Faith Ringgold, Billy Collins, Edward Sorel, Edwidge Danticat, Donald Lipski, Carolyn Forché, Ned Vizzini, and Michael Bierut.
Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.