Apply to the National Arts Competition

To be eligible, you must be able to answer ”Yes“ to these statements:

• I am either a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident or legally able to receive taxable income in the U.S. (i.e., have a social security number).
• I am in grades 10–12 or 15–18 years of age on December 1 of the year I am applying.
• If I’m selected as an award winner with distinction, this would be my first time attending National YoungArts Week.

• To better support applicants, the 2026 YoungArts application will close on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 8 PM ET. We encourage artists to note this deadline carefully and submit their applications early.
• To welcome a broader range of prospective applicants in Dance and Voice, each of these disciplines now uses a unified set of application requirements and invites artists to self-identify their category, rather than prescribing specific categories.
• Application requirements for all disciplines and categories have been updated. Please review the requirements for your discipline and category carefully as you prepare your application. All requirements can be found here.
• All 2026 competition winners and winners with distinction must complete the Artist Resource Collective financial literacy program for young artists (YoungARC) in order to receive their cash award. Classes are broken into 20-minute blocks, totaling 3.5 hours of instruction. Further directions will be provided in notification emails for winners and winners with distinction.
• The following programming will be available to 2026 award winners: National YoungArts Week (for winners with distinction), January 4-11, 2026, with winners with distinction in Voice arriving January 3; and YoungArts Labs in Los Angeles and New York City, dates to be determined. 

Cash awards

All YoungArts award winners receive cash prizes between $250 and $10,000.

Mentorship by accomplished artists

We provide mentorship opportunities with accomplished artists to help award winners prepare for and navigate a career in the arts.

A lifetime of creative and professional support

YoungArts is more than an award. Artists access resources and opportunities at every stage of their development to support a sustainable practice.

A robust network

YoungArts award winners join a community of distinguished artists that provides a long–term, robust network to help artists at all stages of their education and career.

Nomination for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Each year, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects 20 YoungArts award winners who attend National YoungArts Week as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence.

National recognition  

The prestigious award gives emerging artists a headstart by demonstrating that they have received national recognition from highly respected artists in their field early on in their artistic journey.