About Theo Grants
“Life is not a multiple-choice test,
it's a blank sheet of paper.”
CYA founder Dr. Emil Kakkis is a renowned geneticist and biotech entrepreneur, best known for developing breakthrough treatments for rare diseases. But long before his career in science, he was a creative high school student who—like many—felt that the value of creative thinking was often overlooked and underestimated. Years later, as a parent watching his own children navigate school, he saw the same imbalance: originality and innovation taking a backseat to test scores and athletics. "Life is not a multiple-choice test," he says. "It's a blank sheet of paper."
Inspired by this disconnect, and by the need for young people to build confidence in navigating the unknown, Dr. Kakkis founded the Bay Area Creative Foundation—not as an artist himself, but as someone who deeply understands the power of creativity in every field. In science, innovation comes not from memorization, but from bold thinking and imagination. By recognizing and celebrating creative students, the foundation aims to nurture the very skills—curiosity, resilience, risk-taking—that drive meaningful progress in any profession.
1,994
Submissions
605
The Creative Youth Awards (CYA), founded by the Bay Area Creative Foundation, celebrate artistic expression and creativity among high school students across a range of disciplines. Submissions are reviewed by renowned leaders in the arts who share our commitment to uplifting and honoring the next generation of creative voices. Each year, the program culminates in the Creative Youth Celebration—an event that showcases and celebrates the work of these emerging artists.
Awardees
$115,900
Awarded in Cash
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All original creative writing accepted.
Fiction & non-fiction limited to 500 words.
Plays and screenplays limited to five pages or five minutes in length.
Poems; maximum of 3 poems. Combined word count across all poems must not exceed 500 words total.
Written submissions should be submitted as a single consolidated .pdf file.
In addition to the required PDF/JPEG file of the written piece, students may submit an additional video file reading or performing the work (ie, spoken word, theater monologues/dialogue, acted screenplays).
Video attachments must be hosted on YouTube as well as being submitted as a video file.
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All approaches to dance are embraced.
Maximum duration is no more than 5 minutes.
Submissions must be original choreography by submitting/lead student artist.
The submitting/lead artist must be the choreographer. The lead artist may or may not be a performer. If there are multiple performers, they can be listed as “Collaborators”.
All performers must be enrolled in high school (or lower) grades and listed by name as collaborators.
Video attachments must be hosted on YouTube as well as being submitted as a video file.
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All original approaches to filmmaking, video art or filmed storytelling are accepted.
Maximum duration is no more than 5 minutes.
Permission from all actors or participants who appear must be obtained.
Films that include narration or dialog in a language other than English must be subtitled. BACF cannot ensure multilingual review panelists.
Video attachments must be hosted on YouTube as well as being submitted as a video file.
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Performance of music not authored by the student. All approaches to music performance are accepted inclusive of singing, instrumental solo or group renditions.
Note: the scoring emphasis is on creativity; please consider your personal and creative interpretation of existing material when choosing your submission.
Maximum duration is no more than 5 minutes.
All students in an ensemble or team must be enrolled in high school (or lower) grades and listed by name as “Collaborators”.
Video attachments must be hosted on YouTube as well as being submitted as a video file.
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All original music accepted, inclusive of song-writing, music composition, and improvisational pieces.
Maximum duration is no more than 5 minutes.
Required to submit an audio file (MP3) or video file of the piece AND a .pdf of score or lyrics.
Video attachments must be hosted on YouTube as well as being submitted as a video file.
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Original digital or film photography accepted.
Multi-image artworks (ie, diptych, triptychs, etc) must be presented as a single image / 1-page file.
Required to submit a digital file of the photograph.
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Original visual art* in all mediums accepted except photographic entries. *Please submit digitally manipulated photos or photo collages to the Photography category.
Multi-image artworks (ie, triptychs, product design projects, 3-D pieces, etc) must be presented as a single image / 1-page file.
Required to submit a digital file of the artwork.
2025 Categories
