<p>Is anyone participating is this from a fine arts perspective? </p>
<p>It is getting lots of play in the Musical Theater forum. Winners have been notified by mail within the past week.</p>
<p>My D won a Merit Award. She is both appreciative and dissappointed.</p>
<p>Why is she disappointed and what did she win for?</p>
<p>xxxx,Mary Anna</p>
<p>My D entered for painting. 10 slides or digital pics are submitted, with at least five from the chosen specialty. She entered six paintings, a drawing/collage self portrait, two sculptures and a fashion design outfit.</p>
<p>She is disappointed that she did not place higher than Merit. Like the other entrants, she spent lots of time on the process and takes pride in her work. Not broken up or anything, no tears...</p>
<p>In HS freshman year one of her art teachers told her to start keeping two files: one for recognition and awards, one for rejections. The teacher guaranteed her that the rejection file in life will be fuller, not just for her but everyone in the arts fields. She is already thinking about how to tweak her portfolio for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.</p>
<p>How does one enter the NFAA? Do you have a web site for them?</p>
<p>Here is the NFAA website: <a href="http://www.artsawards.org%5B/url%5D">http://www.artsawards.org</a></p>
<p>NFAA is for seniors only.</p>
<p>Also of interest to budding artists is the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards/index.htm</a></p>
<p>Like NFAA, Scholastic has a portfolio contest for seniors. </p>
<p>Unlike NFAA, Scholastic also has awards for individual works vs. an entire portfolio and is open for students grades 7 - 12. The deadline for Scholastic has not passed.</p>
<p>Many art schools, including MICA and RISD get merit scholarships to achievers in the competitions:</p>
<p>From RISD site: </p>
<p>"RISD offers several scholarships each year to freshmen who exhibit outstanding academic and artistic achievements but do not necessarily demonstrate need. One award of at least $5,000 is made to a participant in the Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS), and another of at least $5,000 is made to a participant in Scholastics."</p>
<p>From MICA site:</p>
<p>"Arts Recognition and Talent Search
MICA offers ten $4,000 to $24,000 scholarships allocated over four years to high school seniors who have been selected as candidates by the ARTS award jury in the level I, II, III, IV, V, Honorable Mention, or Merit category. These candidates will be sent a competition entry form in February and are eligible to compete as finalists in MICA ARTS. The recipients of MICA ARTS are selected on the basis of both meritorious achievement and financial need. </p>
<p>Scholastic Art Awards
MICA offers ten $4,000 to $24,000 scholarships allocated over four years to high school seniors who have been selected by the Scholastic Art Awards jury Gold, Silver, or Notable Award Winners from their National Portfolio Competition. These candidates will be contacted in early April if they are eligible for this award. The recipients of MICA SCHOLASTIC are selected on the basis of both meritorious achievement and financial need. Please note: If you wish to be considered for this scholarship, you will need to list MICA as one of your top three preferred art colleges with Scholastic, Inc."</p>
<p>Hope that helps...</p>
<p>M&SDad,
that was such a wise advice from your daughter's teacher - the rejection folder will be longer/fuller!
Isn't that so true for most arts students?</p>
<p>I wish that my D has had such good advisor(s)!
(HS focus on math/sci)
She's had to do everything on her own, without any "coaching/revising"" tips from teachers or arts professionals.</p>
<p>It's not too much to say how proud we are for her (all in writing):
- 1 Scholastic Gold Award (national),
- 3 Scholastic Gold Key awards (highest regional),
- Hon. Mention NFAA ARTS,
- NCTE winner, Letters about Literature (State winner), Poetry Finalist (River of Words - int'l contest), Susquehanna Writer's Institute publication (2% selected), & other smaller awards!</p>
<p>fbc001,</p>
<p>You should be proud. Where is your daughter going to school, and what year?</p>
<p>Some Arts HS incorporate these award competitions into their curriculum. Students from Towson, MD, near Taxguy, consistently win about a quarter to a third of the major art awards each year. There is a consistent style to their work; the teachers clearly know what the judges like.</p>
<p>My daughter's arts HS is uninvolved in these competitions. Much like it sounds with you daughter and her writing, my D enters these through her own initiative.</p>
<p>M&SDad,
Exactly correct re:</p>
<br>
<p>Some Arts HS incorporate these award competitions into their curriculum. Students from Towson, MD, near Taxguy, consistently win about a quarter to a third of the major art awards each year. There is a consistent style to their work; the teachers clearly know what the judges like/expect.</p>
<br>
<p>There are very clear patterns of which schools, and which TEACHERs
whose students are perennial winners.
Just as you said, they know better in terms of topics/genre/styles "preferred"
by specific contests.</p>
<p>In terms of arts schools, I feel you can't fault them for the "coaching" bec that's part of their mission - to prepare their students the best way, & to help them get the best recognition.
However the "regular students" (esp. if no magnet schools are available in the region), is left to "fend for themselves"!
In addition such students rarely get recognitition locally,
when they do achieve ...</p>
<p>Of course it's great in terms of intiatives etc.
but still wish for more inspiring role models & sense of camaradarie!</p>
<p>Regarding visibility of the NFAA and related awards, I had never heard of them until this thread was posted. My daughter did compete successfully in a couple of local art competitions sponsored by a local gallery; but not going to a magnet school in arts (none was available within 90 miles of here), she only began to get really good advice about studying art in college after she attended a pre-college summer program at SAIC. Fortunately, her talent shone through somehow, though of course she had no chance to win the merit scholarships that RISD and MICA award to NFAA participants (even though she was admitted to RISD and MICA). (Any "national" competition for which 25% of the winners come from one high school -- am I reading the previous posts accurately? -- can hardly be truly national in reality.)</p>
<p>Mackinaw, excerpt from this link: </p>
<p><a href="http://www.crispinsartwell.com/emmaarts.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.crispinsartwell.com/emmaarts.htm</a></p>
<p>...from Carver Center for the Arts and Technology...</p>
<p>seven (count em, seven! painting teacher Terry McDaniel has been known to exclaim) ARTS winners this year: the seniors Abdi Farrah, Leah Fassbinder, Amy Reid, Andy Tanner, and Shannon Wenker, and the 04 alumni Jeremy Hyman and Dmitry Morozov. Competition organizers say this is an unprecedented feat; nothing close to one third of the ARTS winners have come from one school in the past.</p>
<p>Not saying the don't work hard or have talent. Does show what one focused teacher/department can do.</p>
<p>Have to say it's impressive. But I'll stick with my judgment that -- not to discount the talent and determination of these students and their teacher -- this can't be a truly national competition.</p>
<p>Last year's national winners. Some amazing work:</p>
<p>It's a national competition when the winners in all the various categories do come from around the country and 10% of the 6500 entrants (in all categories) win an award. However, while winners come from all over....it can be observed that there is heavy representation from certain states and/or schools. Obviously in some areas and schools, they know about this competition and prep kids for it, etc. </p>
<p>I learned about the NFAA ARTS Awards on CC. Last year, my daughter entered. She was a junior but was graduating early and turned 16 right around the time of the entry. She entered for Musical Theater. Our school was uninvolved. She ended up winning a Merit Award (top 10%). Sure, I noticed that there were some schools that had several winners (usually performing arts high schools). But kids did come from all over. We do not have performing arts high schools in our state. We read the requirements and we made a video of her doing it. She was prepping at the time for college auditions anyway. I noticed that she was the only winner in ANY of the nine categories from our state which goes to show you, not many in our state know about it. But it also goes to show you that anyone can win and need not be from a school that preps kids for this or even knows about it. I don't even know if our school knows she won a National Award. However, the BFA programs to which she applied are well aware of the NFAA ARTS Awards. Some other winners are now in her program. </p>
<p>Because of my D's young age, she was eligible to enter again this year as a freshman in college (she turned 17 a month ago) but just did not bother to enter again.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Displays Merit, Honorable Mention and Finalists by state. Just posted today.</p>
<p>I can vouch for the Scholastic program out here in the midwest - D won 2 silvers and had the pieces go to final judging in NYC. Out of her AP Portfolio class of 13 - 5 students won awards. A relative also did well in his region out west in the program. Many of the entries were on display at the awards ceremony locally - very, very impressive work in many different media.</p>
<p>I wonder how well the judges at NFAA really assess talent. How much depends on the quality of the entry tape for theatre and MT entrants? I've read on the MT thread from posters who feel that the tape quality doesn't make much difference. Yet, I can't help but think that it does. I know 3 students from my area who entered in MT this year. One of the 3 was in the top 5%. IMHO, and that of many of the arts teachers who know these kids, the wrong student got the honor. The student who won is a talented performer - definitely has the "it" factor, but does not sing well! The other two kids are triple threats who also have that "it" factor, but did not place. I know, of course, that 3 kids is a terribly small sampling, but it does make me wonder just how good the judging is. In my locale, I've heard similar results over the past couple of years. The most talented students aren't always the ones who place. Sadly, there's a lot of wiggle room when it comes to judging the arts. Individual judge's taste is a big factor. My child will enter next year, but she's been told by her teachers not to get her hopes up too high.</p>
<p>I'll probably get flamed for the next comment, but I'll risk it. I saw a special about the NFAA competition on television last year. Several kids were profiled and there were many shots of large groups of students at Arts Week in Miami. I could not help but notice how very many minority students there were in those group shots. It made me wonder if minority kids got huge bonus points for their ethnicity the way U. Michigan law school prospects used to. Is there some sort of affirmative action agenda at NFAA? In dance, I've seen that many awards have gone to kids who performed ethnic dance forms. I'm glad the minority kids are well represented, but I do wonder why there seemed to be such a very large percentage of them. I have a hard time believing that it's simply that they are more talented or that there were larger percentages of minority kids entering the competition than white kids. One of my D's friends was named a Presidential Scholar in the arts last year through NFAA. He went to Arts week and confirmed that there was a very large minority contingent, certainly much larger than in the population as a whole. The boy, by the way, is an amazing talent and certainly deserved his honor.</p>
<p>It's possible that ethic minorities can benefit in the World Dance form,
as there might be fewer participants than the "main stream" categories.
However many/most ARTS categories are judged "blind" without a clue as to the ethnicity/minority status of the participant,
these categories include writing/visual arts/instrumental/compositions etc.
It does not appear that ARTS has a "minority agenda"!</p>
<p>For vis arts, I agree that it is judged "blind". You submit your portfolio in a white envelope with an ID# on it, not other identifying information. </p>
<p>Rearding minority representation, a lot of the winners come from arts high schools, most of which are based in big cities. Urban school districts generally are at least 50% minority, often more so. Based on that, I am not surprised that then is a significant minority respresntation among the winners.</p>
<p>I do have some questions/reservations about the judging. My S competed in an instrumental category and did not place. That does not concern me. What does is the score he received, which is completely inconsistent with any evaluation of his talent he has ever received. We live in a major city. He has performed extensively during his HS years with top students as well as professionals. He has attended national workshops and always placed among the top musicians. He has performed at workshops with several students who did receive NFAA recognition last year and this year, and his talent has always been judged to be at, if not above, their levels.</p>
<p>While I recognize that arts judging has an inherent degree of subjectivity and you can never expect to win, I cannot understand how he received the score he did when evaluated based on a standard of excellence for students his age.</p>