I’m interested in the answer to this question also. I have a kid who is always drawing in her spare time. The only thing she ever buys with her spending money is art supplies. But she refuses to take any outside art classes because she’d rather draw what SHE wants to draw, not what someone tells her to draw. She also refuses to enter her pieces into any competitions. I can’t even get her to take “commissions” for fanfic art online, which a friend of hers does (who isn’t as good an artist as she is – not that I’m biased 
).
I’ve told her that she can say on her college apps that she spent X hours a week working on her art – that she doesn’t have to show that she’s taken classes or won awards. But I think it sure would help if she did have a few awards!
As for her future, I don’t think she’ll ever have the drive and passion to be someone who makes a living creating art for art’s sake. I could see her being an illustrator or something, but her grades are such that I think she should go to a traditional 4-year university rather than an art or design school.
One thing that’s occurred to me is art conservation – she’s very good in chemistry and science, which you need to be. But where are the good programs in art conservation? Do you have to go to Williams? Are there careers in art conservation outside of the big international cities with huge collections? Is this the right forum to ask these questions?