Visual Arts Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 73 visual arts programs for high school students. Of these, 38 are free to participate in and 15 offer virtual participation. Examples include Academy of Art University Pre-College Art & Design Experience (PCADE), All American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF), and Art for All Teen Program – UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences.
- 73
- listed
- 38
- free
- 15
- virtual
- 65
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are visual arts programs for high school students?
- Visual Arts Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in visual arts. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 65 of the 73 programs listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these programs free?
- Yes — 38 of the 73 programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 15 of the 73 programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are visual arts programs good for a college application?
- Yes — visual arts programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in visual arts on college applications.
Related Categories
73 activities found·Browse by category
Academy of Art University Pre-College Art & Design Experience (PCADE)
Free, college-level pre-college program in San Francisco where high schoolers study animation, game design, fashion, fine art, photography, and filmmaking.
All American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF)
The world's largest student film festival, where high school filmmakers submit short films for a chance to screen at an AMC theater in Times Square and compete for scholarships at an annual New York City awards weekend.
Art for All Teen Program – UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences
Art for All is a five-week summer program in Santa Cruz where rising juniors and seniors explore socially engaged art, visit museums and murals from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, and learn about arts careers through hands-on projects and mentorship; participants receive community-service hours or a small stipend.
Art Students League of Denver – Teen Studio
Drop-in studio program at the Art Students League of Denver for teens ages 14-17 every Friday night. Participants get free access to high-quality art supplies and guidance from professional faculty artists across drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media.
ArtCenter Extension Teen Summer Courses (ACX Teens)
Hands-on art and design intensives for high schoolers at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, covering character design, illustration, and design/technology.
Asian Art Museum – Volunteer Program
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco offers volunteer roles supporting exhibitions, education programs, and visitor services; teens can assist with events and family programs, gaining museum-arts experience and service hours.
Asian Art Museum ArtSpeak Internship
Paid HS interns learn Asian art traditions, collaborate with local artists, interview museum staff on arts careers, and design/teach visitor art activities.
BAVC Media Youth & Emerging Media Makers (Climate Warriors)
San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking/media-arts intensive where high schoolers create social-impact media projects, including a climate-justice documentary program.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
International creative-expression competition inviting students ages 11-18 to explore ocean and climate issues through art, film, writing, or performance, with cash awards up to $1,000 in the Senior Division.
CalArts Community Arts Partnership Summer Arts (CAPSA)
A free four-week summer arts program in Los Angeles County run by CalArts faculty, alumni, and students, offering high schoolers tuition-free instruction across the disciplines taught at CalArts.
Congressional Art Competition
A nationwide U.S. House of Representatives art contest in which high schoolers submit work to their congressional district office, with winning pieces displayed for a year in the U.S. Capitol.
Congressional Art Competition (CA-04, "An Artistic Discovery")
High schoolers submit an original 2D artwork representing their congressional district; winner's art displays in the U.S. Capitol for a year and wins a DC trip.
Cooper Union Saturday Program
A free, long-running Saturday visual arts and architecture program for New York City public high school students, taught by Cooper Union undergraduates and including field trips and portfolio prep.
Creative Youth Awards (Bay Area)
Large regional competition offering more than $100k in cash awards for youth across categories including visual art; open to Bay Area high school students.
Doodle for Google
An annual national art contest from Google where K-12 students design their own Google homepage doodle around a yearly theme, with finalists winning scholarships and a tech package for their school.
Dr. Jerry Hiura Next Gen Visual Artist Award
Visual art scholarship award for Santa Clara County high school students, honoring Dr. Jerry Hiura; awards include a $3,000 first prize and additional $1,000 prizes.
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Teen Programs
Teen programs with events, leadership, and job opportunities (e.g., paid teen guides, Youth Programs Teen Advisory Board) tied to the de Young and Legion of Honor museums.
Getty Museum Teen Gallery Guides
Paid interns learn to research and lead gallery talks/tours at the Getty Center/Villa, building public speaking and art-history skills with museum professionals.
Gnomon Digital Arts Summer Camp – Animation
A five-day high school summer camp at Gnomon School of VFX, Games & Animation in North Hollywood where students (grades 10-12) learn 3D character animation and visual effects in Autodesk Maya from working industry artists.
HSArts Art Competition
Visual art competition offering scholarships up to $3,000 for local youth artists; awards applied to HSArts tuition, young artist programs, or summer camps.
ICA SF Teen Program
Teens explore contemporary art via dialogue, hands-on activities, and public speaking across five sessions, linking art to community issues and creative careers.
ICA SF Teen Program – Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco
The ICA SF Teen Program is a five-session fall program where Bay Area teens meet biweekly to explore contemporary art exhibitions, learn about arts careers, and lead a final public engagement day; students receive a $150 honorarium and become part of the museum community.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
A summer arts program on a mountain campus in Southern California offering 120+ workshops and intensives for teens ages 13-18 in visual arts, music, theatre, dance, film, and creative writing.
Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco Teen Program
Teen program where participants attend weekly meetings, learn about contemporary artists, use mobile zine-making resources, and co-organize a public zine and poetry festival; includes a $500 stipend.
Interlochen Arts Camp - High School Programs
A renowned residential summer arts camp in Michigan where high schoolers train intensively in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, or creative writing alongside a community of thousands of young artists.
Interlochen Arts Camp – Animation
A three-week residential program at Interlochen Center for the Arts (Michigan) where high schoolers (grades 9-12) create digital animated shorts using industry-standard software in the 26,000-square-foot DeRoy Center for Film Studies, ending in a public screening.
K12 Photography Competition
A free national photography competition open to all U.S. students in grades PreK-12 (no enrollment at a K12-powered school required), judged on creativity, technique, composition, and storytelling, with cash prizes awarded in four grade bands including 9-12.
Kala Art Institute Teen Studio Art Program
Skill-based, academic-year visual arts studio program in Berkeley covering drawing, watercolor, and mixed media with professional teaching artists.
LCAD Pre-College Summer Program
Four-week summer program at Laguna College of Art and Design where high schoolers build foundational art and design skills and can earn transferable college credit.
MACLA Teen Tech Center
Free San Jose program blending media arts (stop-motion animation, filmmaking, photography, illustration) with teamwork-based creative projects for teens.
META Summer Academy
META Summer Academy is a selective virtual program focused on design, media, and tech where high-school students complete projects under professional mentorship, emphasizing creative/visual storytelling and possibly UI/UX.
MICA Pre-College Summer Intensive
A residential or commuter summer program at the Maryland Institute College of Art where students ages 15-17 take studio classes, build a portfolio, and earn college credit in Baltimore.
MSU Denver Art + Action Lab High School Internship
Paid internship at MSU Denver's Center for Visual Art that gives Denver-area high school students an inside look at careers across the arts (curation, installation, programming, education) through hands-on work alongside professional museum staff.
National Art Honor Society (NAHS)
A national honor society for art students in grades 9-12 run by the National Art Education Association, offering leadership opportunities and access to member-exclusive scholarships from partner art colleges.
National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY)
The largest youth film festival in the world, held annually in Seattle, screening and awarding short films made by filmmakers age 24 and under, with dedicated student and high-school-specific award categories.
National YoungArts Foundation National Arts Competition
A prestigious national competition for artists ages 15-18 across ten disciplines including visual arts, design, film, jazz, photography, classical music, theater, dance, and voice, with cash awards and mentorship for winners.
North Carolina Governor's School
The nation's oldest statewide residential summer program for gifted and talented students, offering rising juniors and seniors intensive study across the arts alongside academic disciplines at no cost to families.
NUMU ArtNow – New Museum Los Gatos
Annual juried high school art exhibition inviting work from across Santa Clara County; selected works exhibited at the museum.
NYFA 3-Week 3D Animation Summer Camp for Teens
A three-week intensive at the New York Film Academy's Los Angeles campus where teens (ages 14-17) learn 3D animation fundamentals — drawing, storyboarding, sculpting, and character animation — from professional animators and VFX artists, with optional residential housing.
Olive Hyde Art Guild Scholarships
Scholarships for Fremont high school seniors and Ohlone College students pursuing visual arts; includes a $2,000 first prize and several additional awards.
Otis College Summer of Art
Four-week immersive pre-college program in Los Angeles where high schoolers take college-level art and design courses and can earn three transferable college credits.
Palo Alto Art Center Teen Leadership (ACT)
Year-long teen leadership program where high schoolers plan events, make and exhibit art, and build career and leadership skills at the Palo Alto Art Center.
Parsons Summer Intensive Studies (Pre-College)
A three-week, credit-bearing pre-college program at Parsons School of Design in New York City where students ages 16-18 take immersive studio courses in fashion, painting, graphic design, and more.
Perspectives Photo School – Youth Photography Program
A Bay Area photography school in Emeryville offering teens (ages 12-18) studio-based technical training plus field shoots across Bay Area locations like Golden Gate Park and Tilden Regional Park, with an advanced Photography Intensive + Exhibition track for building a portfolio.
Photosprouts Teen Photography Camp
Small-group teen photography camps (ages 12-19) in San Francisco and Palo Alto where all camera equipment (Canon R50 mirrorless, lenses) is provided; students shoot on location around the Bay Area and learn editing in Adobe Lightroom.
Pratt Institute Summer PreCollege
A four-week, credit-bearing summer program at Pratt Institute's Brooklyn campus where high schoolers choose two studio courses across subjects like architecture, illustration, fashion, and graphic design while living in college dorms.
Richmond Art Center Summer Youth Art Cohorts
Free studio-based summer arts program in Richmond, CA pairing teen artists with professional teaching-artist mentors across media like zines, printmaking, and wearable art.
Ringling College PreCollege
A four-week residential summer art and design program at Ringling College of Art and Design where sophomores through seniors take core studio classes plus two specialized immersion courses.
RISD Pre-College Program
A rigorous residential or online summer studio program at Rhode Island School of Design where high schoolers take college-level art and design courses modeled on RISD's first-year curriculum, with no portfolio required to apply.
RPS Collective – Youth Programs (Richmond, CA)
RPS (Richmond Art Center / RPS Collective) youth programs offer art workshops, printmaking, and community-oriented creative projects for local teens, emphasizing social justice and youth leadership.
SAIC Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI)
A 1-, 2-, or 4-week studio-intensive program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where students ages 15-18 create portfolio-quality work across disciplines like animation, fashion, and architecture while earning college credit.
San José Museum of Art Teen Art Camp
Weeklong summer art camps at SJMA giving teens behind-the-scenes exhibition access and guiding them to create work inspired by current museum exhibitions.
SCAD Rising Star / Summer Seminars
Savannah College of Art and Design's pre-college programs — a four-week credit-bearing track for rising seniors and shorter Summer Seminars workshops.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Bay Area Region)
Students submit original art or writing in 28 categories for regional jurying; regional Gold Key winners advance to national judging for scholarships and publication.
SFMOMA Paid Summer Internships
Paid summer internships at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art across departments like education, curatorial, and design; some roles suitable for older teens close to graduation.
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Summer Programs
One- to five-week residential summer arts programs in South Carolina for students in grades 6-11, offering focused training tracks in music, visual arts, dance, theatre, and creative writing.
Southern Exposure (SoEx) Internships
Internships in a nonprofit visual arts organization supporting exhibitions, education, and community art projects; strong exposure to curatorial and gallery operations.
SPOA + Sony Student Photo Contest
A free national photography contest for students in grades 6-12, run by School Photographers of America in partnership with Sony. Students submit original photos in categories like Action Shot, Candid Photo, and Detail Shot; winners receive cameras donated by Sony.
STUFFit Student Film Festival – Animation Category
A national student film festival with dedicated Senior and Junior Animation categories for high schoolers (ages 12-18); students submit an original animated short under 10 minutes made within the last 12 months for festival screening and judging.
Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts
A three-week tuition-free summer intensive for rising Tennessee juniors and seniors to develop pre-professional skills in music, ballet, theatre, filmmaking, or visual art.
Texas Photographic Society International Student Competition
An international student photography competition open to all current high school, middle, and elementary students, with six categories including Documentary/Photojournalism, Portraits, and Fine Art/Abstract. Winners receive a complimentary TPS student membership and recognition.
Triton Museum of Art Teen Docent Program
Mentorship-based program in Santa Clara where teens study art history and appreciation with museum professionals while building skills for museum-curation careers.
UCLA Arts Summer Art Institute
Selective three-week studio-intensive pre-college program at UCLA where high schoolers focus on drawing, painting, photography, or sculpture and earn UCLA college credit.
UNCSA Animation Summer Intensive
A rigorous introductory-to-advanced animation intensive at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, open to rising high school freshmen through incoming college freshmen, covering animation fundamentals and advanced technique.
UNCSA Summer Session
Summer intensives, camps, and workshops for high schoolers at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, spanning dance, drama, visual art, filmmaking/animation, and music with conservatory-level faculty.
USC School of Cinematic Arts Summer Program (Animation & Screenwriting Tracks)
A six-week pre-college summer program on USC's campus where students age 16+ choose hands-on cinematic storytelling courses in either animation/storyboarding or screenwriting, taught by industry professionals.
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's Schools - Visual & Performing Arts
A tuition-free, weeks-long residential summer program on a Virginia college campus where junior and senior high schoolers pursue intensive study in visual and performing arts alongside seminars and performances.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts Summer Programs
One- to three-week residential summer intensives at Walnut Hill's arts boarding school near Boston, covering theater, music, dance, filmmaking/writing, fashion, and visual arts for students ages 11-19.
YoungArts National Arts Competition
Students submit work in one of 10 disciplines for national panel review; award winners receive cash prizes and top honorees are invited to National YoungArts Week for mentorship.
Youth Art Exchange – Teaching Assistant / Alumni Intern
Year-round or session-based paid roles where advanced teens assist teaching artists, support classes, and mentor younger students.
Youth Art Exchange – Youth Advisory Board
Paid year-round leadership and advisory role for teens shaping YAX programming, events, and outreach; combines art, youth voice, and community organizing.
Youth Art Exchange (YAX) Free Art Programs
Free after-school and weekend classes for SF public high school students in animation, architecture, mural arts, printmaking, fashion, darkroom photo, etc.
Youth Art Exchange (YAX) Summer Internship
Summer internship assisting teaching artists, supporting classes, and working with media like painting, collage, sculpture; strong focus on arts education and community engagement.
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