# Virtual & Online Arts Programs for High School Students

These arts programs are fully online, so students in any town — not just near a major university — can participate.

Virtual programs remove geography from the equation; selectivity and follow-through are all that separate you from applicants in Boston or the Bay Area.

77 verified programs match this page; 25 of the featured listings are free; 30 can be done online.

## Programs (77 total, first 30 shown — full list on the canonical page)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Davidson Fellows Scholarship - Music Category](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/davidson-institute-fellows) | Davidson Institute | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-18 |
| [Adobe Design Achievement Awards](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/adobe-design-achievement-awards) | Adobe | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [NYT Personal Narrative Essay Contest](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nyt-personal-narrative-contest) | New York Times | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-02 |
| [Sony World Photography Awards Youth Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/sony-world-photography-youth) | World Photography Organisation | Free | virtual | Grades 7–12 | 2027-01-05 |
| [National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-novel-writing-month) | National Novel Writing Month | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Polyphony Lit Magazine](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/polyphony-lit) | Polyphony Lit | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-30 |
| [Canadian Short Screenplay Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/the-canadian-short-screenplay-competition) | Canadian Short Screenplay Competition Inc. | $35 | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-02 |
| [National PTA Reflections Program National Award](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-pta-reflections-program-national-award) | National PTA | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-10-01 |
| [Commonwealth Short Film Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/commonwealth-government-film-competition) | The Royal Commonwealth Society | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Gold Medal Portfolio](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/scholastic-art-writing-awards-gold-medal-portfolio) | Alliance for Young Artists & Writers | Free | virtual | Grades 7–12 | 2026-12-01 |
| [NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ncte-writing-achievement-awards) | National Council of Teachers of English | Free | virtual | Grades 11–12 | 2027-02-15 |
| [Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/adroit-journal-summer-mentorship) | The Adroit Journal | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [Teen Ink Magazine Submissions](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/teen-ink) | Teen Ink | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Ayn Rand Institute Anthem Essay Contest](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ayn-rand-institute-anthem-essay-contest) | Ayn Rand Institute | Free | virtual | Grades 9–10 | 2027-05-31 |
| [National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-poetry-writing-month) | Maureen Thorson / NaPoWriMo.net | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [FAA High School Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/faa-high-school-competition) | University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts | Free | virtual | Grades 9–11 | 2027-02-01 |
| [The World in 2050 Writing Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/the-world-in-2050) | Brookings Institution & Financial Times | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Richard Wilbur Poetry Award](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/richard-wilbur-award) | University of Maine at Farmington | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/interactive-fiction-competition) | Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-28 |
| [National Student Playwriting Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-student-playwriting-competition) | Kennedy Center | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-06 |
| [Slamdance Screenplay Competition (Student Division)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/slamdance-screenplay-competition-student-division) | Slamdance Film Festival | $45 | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-09-15 |
| [Why Mom Deserves a Diamond Writing Contest](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/why-mom-deserves-a-diamond-contest) | Why Mom Deserves a Diamond, Inc. | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-12 |
| [Lincoln Forum Scholarship Essay Contest](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lincoln-forum-scholarship-essay-contest) | The Lincoln Forum | Free | virtual | Grades 11–12 | 2026-07-31 |
| [Doodle for Google Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/doodle-4-google) | Google | Free | virtual | Grades 4–12 | 2026-12-17 |
| [National Student Production Awards](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/broadcast-education-media-awards) | Broadcast Education Association | $25 | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-15 |
| [NSLI-Y Creative Content Fellowship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nsli-y-creative-content-fellowship) | U.S. Department of State | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-14 |
| [National English Honor Society Writing Contests](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-english-honor-society-writing-contests) | NEHS | $15 | virtual | Grades 10–12 | 2027-04-01 |
| [The Concord Review Published Author](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/the-concord-review-published-author) | The Concord Review | $70 | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-01 |
| [Lune Spark Young Writers' Short Story Contest](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lune-spark-young-writers-short-story-contest) | Lune Spark | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Commonwealth Jubilee Playwriting Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/commonwealth-jubilee-play-competition) | The Royal Commonwealth Society | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |

## Frequently asked questions

### How many virtual arts programs are listed for high school students?

ExtracurricularHub currently lists 77 verified virtual arts opportunities for high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link.

### Are any of these virtual arts programs free?

Yes — 25 of the programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Free programs are often funded and can be more selective, so apply early.

### Which deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: Lincoln Forum Scholarship Essay Contest (July 31, 2026); The Concord Review Published Author (August 1, 2026); Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp) (August 28, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the program's official site.

### Do colleges value virtual programs as much as in-person ones?

Colleges care about what you did and what came of it, not the mailing address. A virtual research project or online internship with real output carries the same weight — and shows initiative if in-person options weren't available where you live.

## Related pages

- [Virtual for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/virtual)
- [Free Arts Programs for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/free/arts)
- [Arts for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/arts)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)
- [Find My Fit — 3-minute matching quiz](https://extracurricularhub.com/find-my-fit)

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Canonical page: https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/virtual/arts
Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.