Southwest student, Mackenzie Neaton, wins a silver medal at the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Submitted by Southwest High School:

Southwest student, Mackenzie Neaton, wins a silver medal at the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Mackenzie Neaton, a senior at Southwest High School in Minneapolis was awarded a silver medal in the Film and Animation category at the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her film “Imbalance”.

“Imbalance” takes various Youtube videos of opposite spectrums of the world and puts them side-by-side to show the unhealthy habits and customs that people from all walks of life share. It offers a visual comparison of the United States and countries thousands of miles away to show that we are not so different from those living on the other side of the world.

The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, who hosted the awards, is a non-profit organization that focuses on showcasing the work of exceptional young artists on a national level. Students from across the country in grades 7-12 are welcome to submit their work to the organization for review. After placing high on a regional level, work is passed on to professionals in the arts community where only the top 1% of all entries are selected as national winners. These works then have the possibility of going on display in the ART.WRITE.NOW exhibition in New York City in June.

These awards are a significant honor in a young artist’s career and often lead to greater success. Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, and Zac Posen are just a few who have gone on to make a name for themselves after winning a Scholastic Award in their youth.

To view Mackenzie’s award winning film along with more of her work visit http://vimeo.com/14131035. To learn more about the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers go to http://www.artandwriting.org.