Contact: Anna Whitlow

Director of Communications 305.377.1140 x1201

awhitlow@youngarts.org

YoungArts Accepting Application for 2012 National Program 17- and 18- year old artists encouraged to apply nationwide

MIAMI, FL (March 15, 2011) – YoungArts, the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), the signature national program that recognizes and supports America’s most talented young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts is accepting applications for its national program starting March 15, 2011. The application will be open online (at www.youngarts.org/apply) until October 14, 2011, and early applications will be accepted through June 30. All high school seniors or 17-18 year-old high school graduates demonstrating excellence in the literary, performing and visual arts are eligible. Winners are eligible for financial awards and scholarships through the NFAA Scholarship List Service, once in a lifetime opportunities to participate in workshops with master artists and perform with their fellow winners and access to a nomination for the title of Presidential Scholar in the Arts, the highest award that can be given to any artistically talented high school senior. “The finalists who are chosen to participate in YoungArts Week will receive training that will provide them with a valuable start to their careers,” says Christina DePaul, NFAA’s President and CEO. “Top names in the entertainment industry like dancer Desmond Richardson, writer Allegra Goodman, visual artist Abdi Farah and actress Kerry Washington have reached the top of the arts and entertainment industry with the encouragement of the YoungArts Program.” YoungArts selects from up to 7,000 applications each year in Cinematic Arts, Dance, Jazz, Music, Photography, Theater, Visual Arts, Voice and Writing. Students are asked to fill out a brief online application and submit audition materials in their artistic discipline. More information about specific requirements are available at www.youngarts.org/how-register. Applications are judged by a panel of esteemed artists, and top finalists are invited to YoungArts Week in Miami in January, where they are further evaluated, award levels are determined and nominations are made for the 2012 Presidential Scholars in the Arts designation. Individual winners (including honorable mention and merit awardees) are eligible for financial awards of up to $10,000, designed to assist them in their artistic career. Eligible students should visit www.youngarts.org to apply. The application will open at 9:00 a.m. on March 15, 2011. Registration will close October 14, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. EST. If students have any questions, they can reach programming staff at 305-377-1140 or info@youngarts.org

# # # About YoungArts: Founded in 1981 and celebrating its 30th year of discovering excellence in the arts in 2011, YoungArts, the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), is the signature national program that recognizes and supports America’s most talented 17-18 year olds in the visual, literary and performing arts. The organization’s mission is to identify emerging artists and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development, and to raise the appreciation for, and support of, the arts in American society. YoungArts provides financial awards, master classes with world-renowned artists and a rich network of professional contacts and career development opportunities. NFAA partners with the Presidential Scholars Foundation, the arm of the U.S. Department of Education honoring the nation’s most deserving high school seniors. NFAA is the sole nominating agency for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, an honor given to just 20 seniors, who receive their award at the White House. YoungArts’ 16,000 alumni include Broadway actors, award-winning playwrights, published authors and numerous well-known visual artists and notable names and arts advocates like Vanessa Williams, Allegra Goodman, John Currin and Kerry Washington. For more information about the YoungArts program, visit www.youngarts.org.