October 15, 2025 - Submissions Open for the 2026 Creative Youth Awards
$100,000 in Cash Prizes Available to Bay Area High School Artists Through the 6th Annual FREE-to-enter Creative Youth Awards
Submissions Open from October 15 - December 10, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA (October 15, 2025) - The 6th annual Creative Youth Awards (CYA), the region’s largest FREE arts recognition program for high school students, opened submissions today. From October 15 through December 10, 2025, Bay Area teens are invited to submit original work across seven artistic disciplines—creative writing, dance, film, music performance, original music, photography, and visual art—for the chance to win a share of $100,000 in cash prizes.
Since its founding in 2019, the Creative Youth Awards have:
Awarded more than $400,000 in cash prizes
Engaged over 6,400 students
Recognized 2,000+ young artists with awards and prizes
“The Creative Youth Awards are about more than prizes—they’re about showing young people that their voices and visions matter,” said Dr. Emil Kakkis, Founder of the Bay Area Creative Foundation. “For many students, having someone beyond their family recognize their talent is profoundly meaningful—it builds creative confidence and validates that what they create has value in the wider world. Every student who submits is joining a vibrant community of peers and professionals who believe in the power of creativity to shape lives and connect communities.”
“It meant the world to have my art taken seriously and recognized by professionals,” said Xitong Han, a 2025 Creative Artist Awardee in Photography, said. “I have renewed courage to chase my artistic dreams."
Each year, entries are reviewed by a jury of acclaimed artists, educators, and industry professionals. Past review panelists have included award-winning music producers, leading filmmakers, and celebrated visual artists. CYA Artists have the opportunity to receive cash awards and top scoring submissions receive personalized written feedback from review panelists. In addition, ALL qualified artist applicants are featured in our online Creative Gallery and receive a free year membership to MasterClass.
Entries are free and open to students in all nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Each student may submit one entry, with submissions capped at the first 2,500 received.
Submissions for the 2026 Creative Youth Awards are open now through December 10, 2025. For full details and to submit work, visit www.creativeyouthawards.org/submit.
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About the Bay Area Creative Foundation
The Bay Area Creative Foundation is a nonprofit established in 2019 to celebrate, cultivate, and inspire creativity in youth and young adults. BACF’s flagship annual awards program - the Creative Youth Awards - recognizes artistic expression and encourages community support for high school artists working in a range of disciplines in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the last five years, more than 6,900 creative works have been submitted and nearly $404,000 in cash awards have been distributed directly to approximately 2,000 students.
For press inquiries, contact:
Grace Andruszkiewicz, Marketing Manager
grace@creativeyouthawards.org
LINKS TO ASSETS:
October 15, 2025 - Press Release Images
