FAQs
Application Submission Process
Adjudication
Notification
Recognition and Awards
YoungArts Student List Service
Regional Programs
Alumni
General
Application Submission Process
What is my deadline to apply to YoungArts?
The 2014 YoungArts program application opens on June 1, 2013 and closes on October 18, 2013. You must submit all of your materials (audition, portfolio, other required materials according to the discipline for which you are applying) by the stated deadline in order to be considered for the 2014 program.
How do I apply?
Application to YoungArts is made through the completion of an on-line application and submission of an online audition portfolio. No references or academic transcripts are required. There is a $35 (non-refundable) application fee per category. Fee waivers are available. Students may apply to more than one discipline or category.
Deadline for submission of both application and audition portfolio is October, 18, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). No application will be reviewed unless a complete set of materials is submitted by the deadline.
Do I have to submit my portfolio or audition as soon as I apply?
No, you can fill out your Application Form, and then prepare your submission materials (portfolio or audition) for uploading at a later date. Your application will be on hold until you complete the submission process. Just be sure to upload everything by October 18, 2013.
What are the YoungArts age eligibility requirements?
On December 1, 2013, you must be between the ages of 15-18 years old OR in high school grades 10-12. YoungArts reserves the right to extend eligibility on a case by case basis
provided the applicant’s birthdate falls within 90 days before or after the designated guidelines.
If I am graduating high school in 2014, may I apply to the YoungArts program?
Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements: on December 1, 2013, you must be between the ages of 15-18 OR in high school grades 10-12. YoungArts reserves the right to extend eligibility on a case by case basis provided the applicant’s birthdate falls within 90 days before or after
the designated guidelines.
What type of high school programs qualify?
You may be enrolled in a public, private or parochial school, or be in a home school program.
Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to apply to the YoungArts program?
No, international students who are studying in the U.S. on a student visa are also eligible to apply. Students must meet the eligibility guidelines.
Can I apply to YoungArts if I was a previous winner?
Honorable Mention and Merit Award winners are eligible to re-apply provided they meet all other requirements Finalists who have attended YoungArts Week are not eligible to re-apply.
Can I apply in more than one discipline?
Yes, you may apply in more than one discipline, but there is an application fee for each category that you select.
What is the fee for applying to YoungArts?
The application fee for applying to YoungArts is $35 per category selected.
How do I pay my application fee?
You may pay your application fee online with a credit card. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards are accepted.
What if I cannot afford the application fee?
Fee waivers are available to qualified applicants. In order to receive a fee waiver you must submit a proof of hardship letter from your high school principal, counselor, or teacher indicating you receive some type of aid. For example, that you qualify for free or discounted lunch program (or equivalent). The letter should be on your school’s letterhead.
Your fee waiver documentation can be uploaded through your on-line application or faxed to (305) 377-1149, or emailed to apply@youngarts.org, or mailed to YoungArts (Attn: Programs Department, 2100 Biscayne Boulevard Miami, FL 33137). We must receive these materials no later than end of business day October 18, 2013.
Can I get a refund after I pay the application fee?
No, your application fee is non-refundable.
How do I submit my portfolio, audition or other submission materials?
The submission process is entirely online as part of the on-line application process.
What are the application requirements?
The application asks for basic contact information, school and arts education and experience. Each discipline and category has its own requirements. Please visit the youngarts.org website for your particular discipline (i.e., Cinematic Arts, Dance, Design Arts, Jazz, Music, Photography, Theater, Visual Arts, Voice, and Writing) for specific submission requirements. Audition requirements are also available within the application.
Adjudication
How will my work be judged?
Your submission is evaluated on its own merit in a blind adjudication process by an independent panel of judges. The panel consists of nationally and internationally renowned master artists within each of the ten disciplines in the visual, literary, performing and design arts. Panelists adjudicate all submissions and identify the national winners in each discipline. Select members of the adjudication panel also work with the Finalists during YoungArts Week and in the Regional programs.
How many applications does YoungArts receive and how many winners are there?
YoungArts received almost 10,000 applications for the 2013 program. Every year approximately 700 students are selected as national winners. Of these, approximately 160 winners are chosen as Finalists to participate in YoungArts Week. All winners may have the possibility of participating in the regional programs (presently in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles).
Notification
How will I be notified if I am a YoungArts winner?
Recognition and Awards
What types of awards can I win?
National Winners
Every year approximately 700 students are selected from the pool of applications as National winners. Winners have the opportunity to meet at YoungArts programs for Master classes with internationally renowned artists, workshops, interdisciplinary activities, performances and exhibitions. In addition, all YoungArts Winners join the ranks of our 17,000 YoungArts alumni and go on to the top universities and conservatories across the country to become leading professionals in their fields.
Recognition Levels
- Merit: Receive a Certificate of Achievement, a Recommendation Letter and possible invitation to participate in regional programs. High School receives engraved award for display.
- Honorable Mention: Receive a $250 award, a Certificate of Achievement, a Recommendation Letter, and possible invitation to participate in regional programs. High School receives engraved award for display.
- Finalist: Receive invitation to YoungArts Week held in January for final adjudication to determine award designation (Gold $10,000, Silver $5000, Level 1 $3000, Level 2 $1500, Level 3 $1000), a Certificate of Achievement, a Recommendation Letter and are potentially invited to participate in regional programs. High School receives engraved award for display.
Is my school recognized as well?
All high schools of winners at all levels will receive a congratulatory letter and award, engraved with winners’ names, for display in the school.
What is PSA (U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) and how does it relate to YoungArts?
Presidential Scholars in the Arts (PSA) is the arts portion of the U.S. Presidential Scholars program—National Recognition Week—that is administered by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2014, The U.S. Scholars program annually celebrates 141 outstanding high school seniors with a weekend event and medallion ceremony each June in Washington, D.C.
YoungArts is the exclusive pathway to the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, the highest honor that can be awarded to any artistically talented graduating high school senior. Each year, up to 60 YoungArts national winners are nominated to the Presidential Scholars Commission with up to 20 students selected as Arts Scholars. The 20 winners create a performance based salute to all of the Scholars performing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and artists and writers, exhibit their work at one of the Smithsonian art museums.
If chosen as a national winner with YoungArts but not eligible for Presidential Scholar consideration due to their eligibility requirements (i.e., not a high school graduating senior), YoungArts will hold your name and submit it for consideration at a future date when you do become eligible. At that time, YoungArts will ask that you submit updated materials.
For further information on the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program including application guidelines, academic requirements, etc., please visit their website (http://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp).
Is it possible to be a winner in more than one discipline or more than category?
Yes. If you are chosen as a national winner in more than one category, and you are invited to YoungArts Week, you will be asked to choose one category to participate in during YoungArts Week. YoungArts will recognize you in all categories for which you were selected as a national winner.
Once you have selected your category for YoungArts Week, you will be honored in the other category with a “Finalist Award” and receive a monetary award in the amount of $500.
When are award checks mailed?
Anyone receiving an award check from the National YoungArts Foundation must submit a W-9 to the YoungArts office. No check will be issued without this document. The W-9 must be in the name of the person receiving the award. Once the W-9 is received, checks are issued based on the following schedule:
- W-9 received by December 31- Award check mailed in February
- W-9 received by March 31 -Award check mailed in April
- W-9 received by May 31- Award check mailed in June
- Last day to receive W-9 for the award year is June 30 - Award check mailed in July
YoungArts Student List Service
All applicants can choose to be placed on the Student List Service (SLS) which provides colleges, universities, conservatories, summer arts programs and outside scholarship awarding organizations discipline specific student contact information as well as the ability to view submitted audition portfolio materials. As a result of participation in the SLS, YoungArts applicants and winners have received more than $150,000,000 in scholarships awards from the top colleges, universities and conservatories across the United States.
Regional Programs
What is a YoungArts Regional Program and where are they located?
YoungArts Program participants enjoy the rare opportunity to take master classes and interdisciplinary workshops from world-renowned artists, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bill T. Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Placido Domingo, James Rosenquist and other masters in a variety of artistic disciplines with the opportunity to perform and exhibit their works at cultural venues in each program city.
Inspired by the learning and experiences offered during YoungArts Week, Regional Programs are week- long programs designed to offer the YoungArts experience to all winners from an ever-growing list of locations. Presently, winners from the South Florida ,the Greater New York City area and the greater Los Angeles area are invited to participate in YoungArts Miami and YoungArts New York, and YoungArts Los Angeles respectively.
When are the Regional Programs held?
Regional Programs scheduled for LA, Miami, and New York will be held during the months of February and March 2014. Specific dates and locations to be announced.
Alumni
What is a YoungArts Alumnus/a?
Since 1981, YoungArts Alumni are the gifted young artists who have applied and been chosen as national winners. YoungArts Alumni go on to the top colleges, universities and conservatories across the country and become leading professionals in their fields. From Juilliard to Harvard, New York City Ballet and Alvin Ailey Dance Company to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, YoungArts Alumni are a strong presence in the arts world and are creative thinkers in the business and technology sectors. Alumni become principal dancers in major companies, members of prominent orchestras, recognizable faces on stage and screen, accomplished authors and respected visual artists. They hold leadership positions across the nation, and bring the same dedication and enthusiastic work ethic to their careers that they invested with YoungArts.
What is the YoungArts Alumni Association?
The YoungArts Alumni Association creates a community for the 17,000+ YoungArts Alumni in order to assist and support them in their educational, artistic and professional development. All winners become officially a YoungArts Alumnus/a and therefore part of the YoungArts Alumni Association.
What are the benefits of being a YoungArts Alumnus/a?
YoungArts always looks for new and different ways to maintain a relationship with our Alumni by integrating them into our national and regional programs and events. We also support Alumni projects and seek ways to promote their artistic ideas.
Benefits of being a YoungArts Alumnus/a include access to the top colleges, universities and conservatories and scholarships. YoungArts has facilitated more than $150 million in scholarships for our winners at the nation’s leading colleges, universities and conservatories. In fact, a recent survey shows that in the class of 2012, a total of $12.4 million in scholarship dollars were awarded to alumni because of their YoungArts designation.
YoungArts utilizes Alumni in events, performances and exhibitions across the nation. YoungArts Alumni are encouraged to submit their work on our ‘Casting Call’ – a site dedicated to cataloging Alumni talents for future event opportunities.
Our Alumni are privy to special partnerships that include an ever-growing list of internship positions and fellowships including those at Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Ballet Theater and Hunter College Art Galleries (NYC),
YoungArts also hires Alumni to serve as Resident Advisors, Discipline Coordinators, Panelists and Master Teachers during YoungArts week at for Regional programs. For more information, email alumni@youngarts.org.
YoungArts also has expanded its Alumni benefits by forming a partnership with Fractured Atlas. YoungArts Alumni now have access to liability and health insurance, online courses, special offers and discounts and the opportunity to become members of the Fractured Atlas Fiscal Sponsorship program. For more information, click here.
General
What artistic disciplines does the YoungArts program recognize?
The YoungArts program consists of ten disciplines in the visual, literary and performing arts. They are: Cinematic Arts, Dance, Design Arts, Jazz, Music, Photography, Theater, Visual Arts, Voice, and Writing.
What is YoungArts Week?
Each January, YoungArts invites approximately 160 national winners to participate in YoungArts Week in Miami. This week-long experience includes final adjudications and life-changing experiences, including master classes with world renowned artists, as well as performance and exhibition opportunities at venues such as the New World Center and the Miami Art Museum. YoungArts Week provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for students. They receive training from some of the country’s most notable artists including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Edward Albee and Frank Gehry, to name a few. Many of the students say that their experience at YoungArts Week is what solidified their conviction to pursue their dream of pursuing a career in the arts.
