Creative Youth Awards Program to Award $100K to Student Artists

Submissions open September 30, 2024

The Bay Area Creative Foundation (BACF) was established in 2019 to celebrate creative experimentation and practice. In 2025, its Creative Youth Awards (CYA) program will award $100,000 to Bay Area high school artists in creative writing, dance, film, music performance, original music, photography, and visual art. The CYA program has distributed $288,000 in cash awards to more than 1,500 youth artists since it launched in 2021.

Submissions for the 2025 awards will start on September 30, 2024, and are open to the first 2,500 submissions until December 11, 2024. There is no fee to apply. Students are limited to one entry each, and submissions will be capped at the first 2,500 received. Homeschool students also are encouraged to submit.

The awards are free to enter and are open to all nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

All qualified artist applicants are eligible to receive cash awards and prizes, and their artwork will be included in the online Creative Gallery . Submissions are reviewed by a jury of fine artists, arts professionals and educators, all of whom are experts in their fields. Previous review panelists have included award-winning music producers, leading filmmakers, and celebrated visual artists.

Top awardees receive direct feedback on their artwork from the professional arts review panel. Over the last four years, the Bay Area Creative Foundation has been a proud recipient of the MasterClass Grant, distributing free year-long memberships to all qualified participants, and will continue that legacy this year as 2025 MasterClass Grant recipients.

The Creative Youth Awards culminate in the Creative Youth Celebration , an in-person showcase of the CYA artists. The 2024 celebration, held at Saint Joseph’s Art Society in San Francisco, included live student performances, displays and activation of student artwork, and a keynote address by acclaimed choreographer Alonzo King, founder of Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

“The Creative Youth Awards continue to be a way to show recognition and award artistic expression among our youth,” said Dr. Emil Kakkis, Bay Area Creative Foundation founder and distinguished geneticist known for his work to develop treatments for ultra-rare disorders. Affirming the importance creativity provides in society, Dr. Kakkis established the BACF to inspire and support young artists by providing awards that encourage and celebrate their creativity.

How to submit

• Visit the CYA website now to read the FAQs & Official Rules and learn about the Review Panel & Process. The CYA Toolkit will be available soon.
• On September 30, return to the website and go to the “Submit Now” tab (the Submission Website) which will be located in the top right corner of our site navigation. It will not be live until the opening date.
• Submit your artwork according to the category requirements detailed on the Submission Website. Details on how to submit for each category will be explained.
• Video tutorials for how to apply with the online submissions platform will be posted after the Submission Website window goes live on September 30.
• Remember, submissions close on December 11 . No late entries will be accepted.

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