Seniors Jane Lee, Celina Ren and Nolan Woo learned in late November that they were winners of the national YoungArts competition.
This year, about 800 winners were recognized from a pool of about 13,000 applicants. Lee was recognized for writing/poetry, Ren for design and Woo for classical music. Both Lee and Woo were also recognized last year.
These recognitions follow a strong trend set in recent years. Last year, five students earned the honor, and while two did so in 2023.
YoungArts is an organization to support young artists throughout their journey. The competition recognizes artists between the ages of 15 and 18 in ten disciplines: classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing.
For writing, specifically poetry, applicants submitted between three to five poems in under 10 pages. Lee chose to submit four poems: two free verse poems about her family, one prose poem about how her childhood shaped her love for writing and a political prose poem about immigration and deportation. Lee was proudest of her incorporation of both Korean and English in her writing, reflecting both her culture and identity.
For instrumental classical music, applicants must submit three video recordings: one standard repertoire for a solo instrument, one piece that highlights technical ability and one selection written within the past 40 years.
Woo performed cello pieces “Cello Suite 5” by Johann Sebastian Bach, “Suite for Solo Cello” by Krzysztof Penderecki and “Sinfonia concertante” by Sergey Profokiev.
The requirements for design this cycle allowed for portfolios in architecture and product, UI/UX, graphic, fashion and cross-disciplinary design. Each portfolio requires 10 pages of at least two projects, showcasing sketches, mock-ups and final products. Additionally, applicants submitted a 2-minute video showing the design process and the object in use, as well as written or recorded answers explaining the motivation behind their project and how they overcame obstacles in their creative process.
Ren submitted pieces in varying mediums: “Thought Train for One” and “Now Showing” utilized Photoshop, while “Modern Geometricism” was created through wood and cardboard, “Halocase” through Blender and Photoshop and “Glass Horizons” through wood, glass and foam. Ren’s work is also available on her website.
“I needed to show a lot of the thought process and sketches,” Ren said. “I didn’t have high expectations because I did rush my [application, so] I was super surprised because I didn’t think I was going to win anything.”
Winners of the competition gain access to a community of artists and receive $250 after participating in a financial literacy program. A weekly newsletter allows winners to connect locally and simultaneously celebrate past winners’ accomplishments.
As a two-time winner, Woo was initially taken aback by a slight shift in requirements compared to the year before, but wanted to still submit a strong audition.
“I was feeling a bit anxious, and I knew there would be a lot more applications [than last year,] but I just wanted to put my best foot forward,” Woo said. “Things turned out in my favor.”
