Free Arts Programs for High School Students

Every program on this page costs $0 to attend — cost should never be the reason a strong student skips arts opportunities.

Funded arts programs are often more selective than paid ones precisely because someone else is paying; treat their deadlines seriously.

186 verified programs match this page; 30 of the featured listings are completely free; 11 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA) — Carnegie Hall: Join a prestigious summer orchestra program for high school musicians in grades 10-12. Develop advanced music skills, perform at Carnegie Hall, and bo
• Davidson Fellows Scholarship - Music Category — Davidson Institute: Prestigious music scholarship recognizing high school students with exceptional compositions. Boost your college applications and showcase your creati
• Young Playwrights Festival — Young Playwrights Inc.: Showcase your talent in this free playwriting competition for high schoolers (Grades 10-12). Develop creative skills, gain theater experience, and boo
• National High School Musical Theatre Awards (Jimmy Awards) — Broadway League: Compete in a prestigious national musical theatre competition in NYC! Showcase your talent, gain performance skills, and boost your college applicatio
• National Student Poets Program — Institute of Museum and Library Services: Prestigious poetry competition for 10th-11th graders. Become a literary ambassador, gain recognition, and build creative writing skills for college an
• Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam — Youth Speaks: National slam poetry organization connecting high school students through spoken word performance, workshops, and the annual Brave New Voices internat
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — Scholastic Inc. / Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation's longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Over $
• Presidential Scholar in the Arts — U.S. Department of Education: 20 students selected annually via YoungArts. One of highest honors for young artists.
• Ayn Rand Institute Anthem Essay Contest — Ayn Rand Institute: Essay contest on Ayn Rand's Anthem. $2,000 first prize for 9th-10th graders.
• From the Top / NPR Performance — From the Top: Perform on NPR's From the Top radio show. National exposure for young musicians.
• River of Words Environmental Poetry & Art Contest — Library of Congress: Environmental poetry and art competition for K-12 students.
• Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award — The Poetry Society: Major international poetry award for young writers (ages ~11–17); annual deadline.
• Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Programs — Boston Symphony Orchestra: Elite music training at BSO summer home. Work with world-class musicians. Highly competitive audition.
• Processing Foundation Creative Coding — Processing Foundation: Free creative coding resources and community. Learn Processing/p5.js to create digital art and interactive media.
• Carnegie Hall NYO2 — Carnegie Hall: National training ensemble (ages 14-16) with full scholarship and residency.
• Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition — Royal Commonwealth Society: Global essay competition for youth; annual deadline.
• Mississippi Governor's School — Mississippi Arts Commission: Arts-focused residential summer program for MS students.
• National Youth Poet Laureate — Urban Word: Highest honor for teen poets in America. Laureates represent youth poetry nationally, including events at Library of Congress.
• Menuhin Competition Junior — Menuhin Competition: Prestigious international violin competition with junior division; annual/biannual cycle.
• Lincoln Forum Scholarship Essay Contest — The Lincoln Forum: Essay contest on Abraham Lincoln and Civil War era. Cash prizes and attendance at annual symposium. Shows historical research and writing excellence.
• National Portfolio Day — National Portfolio Day Association: Free portfolio reviews from art school representatives at events nationwide. Essential for art school applicants.
• NSLI-Y Creative Content Fellowship — U.S. Department of State: State Department program combining critical language learning with creative content production. Unique blend of language skills and creativity.
• National PTA Reflections Program National Award — National PTA: National arts recognition through PTA in visual arts, music, literature, photography, film, and dance.
• National History Day Kenneth E. Behring National Contest Winner — National History Day: National winners in documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website categories. Over 500,000 students compete annually. Top prizes include colleg
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Gold Medal Portfolio — Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: Highest honor in Scholastic Awards for exceptional art or writing portfolios. Past winners include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath.
• Ocean Awareness Contest First Place — Bow Seat: Art, writing, film, music about ocean conservation. $1,500+ prizes.
• Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship — The Adroit Journal: Highly competitive writing mentorship. Work 1-on-1 with published authors. ~10% acceptance.
• Global Kids Online Leaders Program — Global Kids: Youth journalism and advocacy program focused on global issues. Create content on human rights, social justice. Develops voice on international affair
• U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in the Arts — U.S. Department of Education: Highest honor bestowed upon American arts students by the U.S. President. 20 students selected annually via YoungArts for national recognition ceremon
• Jacob Burns Film Center Creative Culture Summer — Jacob Burns Film Center: Intensive filmmaking program near NYC. Create professional-quality short films. Industry connections.

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