819 Students Recognized for Excellence in the Literary, Visual, Design and Performing Arts
National YoungArts Foundation Receives Record Breaking Number of Applications from Emerging Artists Across the Country
Finalists to Participate in 35th Anniversary National YoungArts Week in Miami, January 3-10, 2016
MIAMI, Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) today announced its 2016 YoungArts Winners. From more than 12,000 applications—the largest number to date—819 young artists from 42 states have been selected for their outstanding work and accomplishments across the literary, visual, design and performing arts. Winners receive cash awards of up to $10,000, validation by renowned mentors, opportunities to participate in YoungArts programs, a strong professional network, and guidance in taking important steps toward achieving their goals. A complete list of the 2016 Winners is available online at http://youngarts.org/winners.
Each YoungArts Winner is designated as a Finalist, Honorable Mention or Merit Winner through a blind adjudication process by an independent panel of highly accomplished artists. Some Winners are awarded for excellence in multiple disciplines.
2016 Finalists have the opportunity to participate in the 35th annual National YoungArts Week in Miami from January 3 to 10, 2016, and are eligible to become U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, as YoungArts is the exclusive nominating agency for this high honor. All Winners are eligible to participate in YoungArts' regional programs, including YoungArts Los Angeles (February 16 – 21, 2016), YoungArts Miami (March 8 – 13, 2016), and YoungArts New York (April 12 – 17, 2016), space permitting.
"To have such a formal organization acknowledge you as a young artist, saying that you have talent, was highly motivating for me," said Terence Blanchard, multiple Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and composer and a 1981 YoungArts Winner in Music, the inaugural class of YoungArts Winners. "I was part of YoungArts when it first started, and the mentoring and scholarships I received definitely took my artistry and career to new heights which may not have been possible otherwise."
YoungArts Winners become part of the organization's expansive alumni network of leading professionals, including visual artists Doug Aitken and Daniel Arsham; musicians Conrad Tao and Jennifer Koh; recording artists Josh Groban and Chris Young; writers Jenji Kohan and Sam Lipsyte; actors Viola Davis, Andrew Rannells and Kerry Washington; renowned choreographer Desmond Richardson; and 2015 So You Think You Can Dance winner Gaby Diaz.
YoungArts seeks to support the artistry of its alumni and their projects throughout their careers; builds a community of YoungArts Winners across generations; and establishes connections with partner institutions across the country, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, American Ballet Theater and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
For more information, visit youngarts.org, facebook.com/YoungArtsFoundation or twitter.com/YoungArts. To watch a brief video about YoungArts, click here.
For images, click HERE.
About the National YoungArts Foundation
The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and support the next generation of artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts; assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development; and raise appreciation for the arts in American society. In recent years, there have been approximately 11,000 applications to YoungArts; in 2015, the organization received a record breaking number of more than 12,000 applications from 15-18 year old (or grades 10-12) artists, and from these, approximately 800 winners are selected.
YoungArts Winners work with renowned mentors, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Redford, Rebecca Walker and Bruce Weber; receive cash awards of up to $10,000; gain access to significant scholarships; become eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts; and perform and exhibit their work at some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and New World Center (Miami). YoungArts Winners also become part of the strong YoungArts alumni network artists, which offers them additional opportunities throughout their careers.
National YoungArts Week is supported by National Premier Sponsor Carnival Foundation; Performance Sponsor SunTrust; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; and the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council. Aon is the YoungArts Legacy Master Series Sponsor.
Media Contact:
Dejha Carrington, National YoungArts Foundation
[email protected] / 305-377-1140
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151118/289109
SOURCE National YoungArts Foundation
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