April 15, 2025 - 2025 Creative Youth Awards Announcement Press Release
$115,900 in cash awarded to 605 Bay Area High School Students for the 5th Annual Creative Youth Awards
Image: “Contrasting Altercation” by Angel W., 2025 CYA Superior Awardee in Photography. Courtesy of the artist.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA (April 15, 2025) - The Bay Area Creative Foundation (BACF) is thrilled to announce the 2025 Creative Youth Awardees. This year, the fifth annual Creative Youth Awards (CYA) received nearly 2,000 submissions from Bay Area high school students in seven creative disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Film, Music Performance, Original Music, Photography and Visual Arts.
THIS YEAR, 605 STUDENTS RECEIVED CASH AWARDS TOTALING $115,900. Seventeen students achieved our highest honors of Presidential and Creative Artist Awards - each receiving a $1,000 cash award. Other award categories, Superior $500, Exceptional $200, and Special $100 were awarded across the submission disciplines.
A jury of 42 discipline-specific Bay Area arts professionals reviewed the submissions. The 2025 review panels included award-winning writers and filmmakers, celebrated artists and musicians, and esteemed educators and curators.
All eligible CYA applicants are featured in the online Creative Gallery and receive a year long membership to MasterClass.
“High school is a critical time to celebrate the value of creative expression and artistic experimentation. The students that participated in the 2025 Creative Youth Awards have not only shown incredible talent and potential, but they have demonstrated courage and vulnerability in sharing their work. The Bay Area Creative Foundation exists to honor that, and empower them to continue exploring and expanding new ways of thinking, “ said BACF Executive Director, Lani Rovzar.
Meet some of our talented young artists!
Visit our 2025 Creative Gallery, to see all of the 2025 Creative Youth Awards artworks!
The Awards program will culminate at the day-long Creative Youth Celebration to be held on Saturday, July 19th at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Admission is free and - for the first time in its history - the event will be open to the public. In addition to showcasing the artwork and performances of the 2025 Creative Youth Awards artists, there will be arts activities, professional artist panel discussions and the opportunity to connect with other young creatives from across the Bay Area! Details and registration can be found here.
###
ABOUT THE BAY AREA CREATIVE FOUNDATION:
The Bay Area Creative Foundation is a nonprofit established in 2019 to celebrate, cultivate, and inspire creativity in youth and young adults. We believe in fostering a society that embodies creative spirit, art, and innovation. Through our annual awards program, we recognize artistic expression and encourage community support for high school artists working in a range of disciplines in the San Francisco Bay Area.
###
LINKS TO ASSETS:
