Eighteen-year-old tap dancer Rio Gomez used to shy away from the spotlight, but the spotlight keeps shining on her and her skills. When the Fullerton, California–native was younger, she didn’t always believe in herself. “My teachers brought me up, when I didn’t have much confidence in my dancing,” she says. Since then, Gomez has taken […]
Today, November 24, YoungArts announced the winners of its 2026 National Competition. The annual award, which recognizes high-achieving artists ages 15–18 (or in grades 10–12) in the U.S., spans across genres like voice, film, theater, and, of course, dance. Each winner receives a cash prize of $250 (or, for YoungArts winners with distinction, $10,000), along […]
YoungArts isn’t just a prestigious stage for the next generation’s most talented young artists. The organization also provides awardees, ages 15 to 18, a week of master classes, mentoring, and community building to support their budding careers. And according to past winners with distinction, those five days in Miami, where performing, visual, and literary artists […]
We already knew the Class of 2020 was full of stars—but two of them in particular were just awarded one of the nation’s highest honors for high school seniors. Nouhoum Koita and Pranav Tadikonda are now Presidential Scholars in the Arts after being nominated by the National YoungArts Foundation. Check out both of their YoungArts […]
Michelle May (photo by Erin Baiano) The National YoungArts Foundation offers a yearly award to talented young people in the visual, literary, design and performing arts fields. In 2017, that could be you! Many of the dancers we know and love have been recognized by the YoungArts Foundation—like our 2015 Cover Model Search winner Michelle […]
Sarah Pippin (photo by Erin Baiano) The National YoungArts Foundation offers a yearly award to talented young people in the visual, literary, design and performing arts fields. In 2016, that could be you! Many of the dancers we know and love have been recognized by the YoungArts Foundation—in 2015 alone finalists included Sarah Pippin, one […]
Earlier this month, 170 standout high schoolers ventured to Miami to participate in National YoungArts Week. The group of YoungArts finalists—whittled down from roughly 11,000 applicants nationwide—included 21 dancers, and they were treated to master classes with artists like former New York City Ballet principal Phillip Neal (who’s a YoungArts alum himself), Miami City Ballet […]
A young Billy Bell at YoungArts Week 2008 (by Juan Cabrera) As of this week, applications for the National YoungArts Foundation’s 2014 program are officially being accepted! The list of now-famous YoungArts alumni is a long one: Longtime Alvin Ailey dancer Linda Celeste Sims was a 1994 YoungArts Winner for dance, and choreographic genius Billy […]
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