Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide
If your child loves singing, dancing, acting, playing an instrument, composing music or painting and designing, she will find a plethora of outstanding fun and instructional programs where she can develop her talents and meet people who love what she does. Check out extracurricular arts activities, including performance opportunities, at your child’s school or at local community centers. Specialized private weekend classes and summer programs for students of all levels are sponsored by various art institutes, music festivals, universities and professional music and dance companies.
To perform at the highest levels, many arts, especially music and dance, require private lessons and enrichment. If your child likes to perform, look for audition opportunities at local fairs, festivals, community orchestras and theaters. Many professional theaters and ballet companies sponsor summer intensive programs from talented youth. A child who enjoys competing may be interested in participating in arts contests where her work can earn recognition and win awards. The best students compete, at national arts contests that offer scholarship prizes.
- Each year, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) Poster Contest provides an opportunity for students to creatively express ideas and understandings of language and… Read more
- The ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (the “Award”) honors the late Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and The ASCAP Foundation’s former president Morton Gould’s lifelong commitment to… Read more
- The BMI Student Composer Awards is an annual competition open to young composers engaged in the study of classical music. Our oldest awards program in any genre, the competition has a prestigious… Read more
- The Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs is a New England-based nonprofit with an international reach that has a mission to inspire and empower the next generation of ocean caretakers through art,… Read more
- Engaging and mentoring students in studying the Holocaust and in grappling with its meaning and lessons for today is a vital part of the mission of the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education. In… Read more
- Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since… Read more
- The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 scholarships to extraordinary young people, 18 and under, who have completed a significant piece of work. Application categories… Read more
- To develop opportunities that inspire the global community of learners to utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st century skills and creativity. The Destination Imagination program is a fun,… Read more
- The Digital Arts Festivals recognize the achievements of Club members through local, regional or national festivals building confidence and motivating participants to explore new avenues for artistic… Read more
- Since 1987, The Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts has recognized merit and the pursuit of excellence with awards in honor of Iowa actress, Donna Reed. Backed by the generosity of her home… Read more
- Employing the signature “O’Neill process,” the festival provides professional-level support to develop original one-act plays written by middle and high school students. With these methods, the young… Read more
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum launched the National High School Design Competition in collaboration with Target in 2016. Every year, students around the country are challenged to design a… Read more
- ICS maintains a listing of hundreds of academic competitions in order for students to get ranked in their ICS Global Academic Champions Ranking. Since 2012, ICS has been defining best-practices in… Read more
- The Gutenberg Award recognizes exceptional achievement in the field of Graphic Arts. Awards are available for printed items, Web sites, and photographs. Entries may be submitted by graphic arts… Read more
- THESPIAN FILMWORKS nurtures original student-created films from the page to the screen through “run and gun” filmmaking. The program staff will choose up to two projects to be developed at the… Read more
- THESPIAN MUSICALWORKS nurtures original student-written musicals from the page to the stage. The program staff will choose up to two works to be developed at the International Thespian Festival,… Read more
- THESPIAN CRITICWORKS nurtures original student-written arts journalism. The pro-gram staff will choose up to six writers to attend the International Thespian Festival. Professional critics will help… Read more
- THESPIAN PLAYWORKS nurtures original student-written plays from the page to the stage. The program staff will choose up to four plays to be developed at the Inter-national Thespian Festival,… Read more
- As the Midwest Torrance Center, we subscribe to creativity as the “highest form of mental functioning.” This framework was initiated and developed by E. Paul Torrance, known as the father of… Read more
- Each year, the Lewis Center for the Arts sponsors contests and scholarships for high school students. Past and current contest categories have included poetry and play writing.
- Competition Eligibility: There are 2 Divisions: Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC) Orchestra Division* Open Division *Students in the MYAC Division must be active participants in the MYAC… Read more
- The annual competition is designed to provide an educational as well as a competitive experience for young chamber ensembles. The competition is open to chamber ensembles in 12th grade and younger… Read more
- MIT INSPIRE was started in 2015 with a mission: to encourage young people to seek innovative solutions to global problems through rigorous inquiry in the humanities, arts, and social science fields.… Read more
- The MTNA National Student Competitions are the most successful and prestigious student competitions in the country Each year, thousands of students compete for top prizes and national recognition.… Read more
- National Association for Music Education (NAfME), among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the… Read more
- Since its founding in 1898, the NFMC has grown into one of the world’s largest music organizations with club and individual members of all ages. The NFMC is chartered by the Congress of the United… Read more
- The Jimmy® Award is named in honor of James M. Nederlander, legendary Broadway theatre owner and producer. The Jimmy® Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor is… Read more
- Now in its fifty-third instalment, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition provides a showcase for the world’s very best nature photography. The competition is owned by the world-renowned… Read more
- For 50 years, National PTA’s Reflections program has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that… Read more
- The STEM Challenge is a game design competition, and so our judges evaluate games based on three criteria, which are equally weighted in the judging process: engaging gameplay: the extent to which… Read more
- The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison. YoungArts’ signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15–18 or in grades 10… Read more
- Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about… Read more
- Quill and Scroll conducts two major competitions each year. Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest and Blogging Competition Currently enrolled high school students are invited to enter the… Read more
- Since 2014, we at RCLA have been directing the Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Contest and continue to regard it as a worthwhile way to honor this great American’s… Read more
- River of Words® (ROW) is a program of The Center for Environmental Literacy and a part of the Kalmanovitz School of Education. Acknowledged pioneers in the field of place-based education, River of… Read more
- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Through the Scholastic Awards, teens in grades 7–… Read more
- Welcome to The Apprentice Writer, which annually features the best writing and illustrations from entries we receive each year from secondary schools throughout the United States. Susquehanna… Read more
- The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a national organization of students engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Open to students enrolled in or who have completed… Read more
- Beginning in summer 2010, Oberlin Conservatory of Music joined with The Cleveland Orchestra to offer an important new international competition for young musicians. The competition awarded more than… Read more
- This award annually recognizes outstanding emerging young musicians living with disabilities, ages 14 to 25, from around the world and nurtures their pre-professional career experiences. Each year… Read more
- Young writers with disabilities and collaborative groups that include students with disabilities, in U.S. grades 6-12 (or equivalents) or ages 11-18 for non-U.S. students, are invited to explore the… Read more