SOURCE YoungArts

The Most Accomplished Artists, Ages 15-18, from Across the United States Honored for Excellence in Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts

MIAMI, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- YoungArts today announces the 2026 YoungArts award winners, 734 of the nation's most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists representing 39 states and the District of Columbia. Bestowed annually since 1981, the YoungArts Award is the only award in the nation that recognizes exceptional young talent across disciplines and affirms their pursuit of a professional life in the arts. Recipients become part of a lifelong community of peers and mentors, with access to critical resources that help sustain their creative practices throughout their careers. A complete list of the 2026 winners is available online at youngarts.org/winners.

"If we give young people the validation to pursue artistic careers, then the arts in the United States will continue to thrive," said YoungArts President & CEO Clive Chang. "The YoungArts Awards not only affirm their interests and talents, but give them the support networks and resources that allow them to envision a long-term path and sustain it. We are thrilled to recognize the extraordinary creativity, imagination, and talent of this year's award winners and to champion them for the rest of their lifetimes."

YoungArts award winners, all ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12, are selected through a highly competitive application reviewed by panels of esteemed artists in a rigorous adjudication process. All YoungArts winners have demonstrated exceptional technique, a strong sense of artistry, and an extraordinary commitment to developing their craft. Winners were selected from a record number of nearly 13,000 applications across 10 artistic disciplines: classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice, and writing.

The winners join a distinguished community of artists who receive creative and professional development support throughout their careers, including microgrants and financial awards, mentorship and professional development opportunities, and collaborations with major cultural partners nationwide. They also become part of an intergenerational network of more than 23,000 past awardees and accomplished artists including Daniel Arsham, Jon Batiste, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Amanda Gorman, Denyce Graves, Judith Hill, Jennifer Koh, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson, Jean Shin, Hunter Schafer, and Shaina Taub. Each winner receives a monetary award of $250 in recognition of their achievement.

From this year's cohort, a select group of 171 artists spanning disciplines have been named YoungArts Award Winners with Distinction and are invited to participate in National YoungArts Week, held January 4–11, 2026, in Miami. During the week, participants share their work with peers; attend interdisciplinary classes and workshops; receive mentorship from leading artists; and are considered for additional awards of up to $10,000. Notable guest artists for 2026 include dancer Camille A. Brown, poet Mahogany L. Brown, photographer Anastasia Samoylova, and artist Kennedy Yanko.

Winners with Distinction are also eligible to be nominated as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the highest honors for high school seniors. As the sole nominating agency, YoungArts submits up to 60 nominees to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, from which 20 students are selected. Select YoungArts Award winners may also participate in YoungArts Labs, all-expenses-paid learning intensives with field-defining artists in Los Angeles and New York.

Support
YoungArts programming throughout the year is made possible by the support of its most generous donors, including American Foundation for Bulgaria; Anthropologie; Aon; Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation; Sarah Arison and Thomas Wilhelm; Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation; Black Family Philanthropies; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Estate of Ruth P. Cohen; Jeffrey Davis and Michael Miller; Molly and Bill Ford; Giving Bee Family Foundation; The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; Hearst Foundations; The John C. Hench Foundation; Barbara and Amos Hostetter; Michi and Charles Jigarjian / 7G Foundation; Leslie and Jason Kraus; Melony and Adam Lewis; Ashley Longshore; Steven and Oxana Marks / Podhurst Orseck, P.A.; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Northern Trust Bank; The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Christopher Rim / Command Education; Corey Robinson; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Dr. Sidney Stern and the Stern Family Foundation; Sandra and Tony Tamer; Robert Wennett & Mario Cader-Frech; Todd White and Cameron Carani; and Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.

About YoungArts
YoungArts-the national foundation for the advancement of artists-was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify exceptional young artists, amplify their potential, and invest in their lifelong creative freedom. YoungArts provides space, funding, mentorship, professional development and community throughout artists' careers. Entrance into this prestigious organization starts with a highly competitive application for talented artists ages 15–18, or grades 10–12, in the United States that is judged by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous adjudication process.

For more information, visit youngarts.org, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Media Contacts:

Dave Adams, YoungArts
[email protected] / 305.377.1140 x 1308

LeAnne Bugay / Shreya Labh / Francesca Kielb, Resnicow and Associates
[email protected] / 212.671.5163

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