<p>Unfortunately no, yasmin, I’m from the South so there are no YoungArts opportunities near me. 
And I really want to see the list, even though I know what I got-- I love looking at the names and the demographics!</p>
<p>I still haven’t received anything from YoungArts :(. I think they said December 3 is when they finish notifying everyone or like Mid-December, one of the two. I am starting to think I was rejected just to think I enter in THREE different Disciplines!!!</p>
<p>wrencher94, I also have not received anything and I have applied in 2 disciplines (classical voice/musical theatre) I am nervous because a friend received their letter for Merit in the popular voice category right after Thanksgiving, but nothing for musical theatre (He also applied 2 categories). My other friend was also notified about HM in musical theatre right around the same time. They received their letters on November 22nd, a day after they were marked for… we live fairly close to Miami, so doesn’t that mean rejection on my end…? I am actually disappointed with the YoungArts program, and I’ve come to realize you really can’t let this make or break you because it’s all subjective. The girl I go to school with for musical theatre with who won HM really isnt that talented, but I guess she just had a really good audition tape. I saw it and all I can say it was just very generic bubbly Musical Theatre-esque… nothing that blew me away. Then I compare her to my friend who received Merit in popular voice but is one of the MOST talented people I have ever met…so you really can never tell</p>
<p>Glad to here that I’m not the only one! I enter in Visual Arts, Creative Non-Fiction & Photography! I really wish YoungArt would just post something with all the winners or just send emails–like they did last year! I have no clue why they choose to mail everyone. It’s really hard not to think about YoungArts everyday, it’s starting to effect my concentration in school, sadly enough. </p>
<p>Most competitions notify everyone at the same time. I never seen or herd of anything being done in this matter. However, tried to call last week and see if I won anything but the guy told me that my scores where in for all my disciplines-- I just have to wait and see what I got in the mail. I’m just prying that I at-least place in one discipline! </p>
<p>Good luck to you! Let CC know what you got… I will definitely post if I got an award or rejected…</p>
<p>Don’t worry guys – you’re not alone. I haven’t gotten any letter about either of my two categories either (short story and creative non-fiction). I have to agree with cayleyc about the subjectivity of the contest though. One of the stories I submitted as part of my short story entry won a national gold medal at scholastic last year, and based on the lack of reply, I doubt it has gotten anything with youngarts. It seems strange to think that judges would see a story so differently, but I guess that’s just how it is :(</p>
<p>Just got back to school and received my letter in my mailbox-- Merit winner in short story.
No invite to youngarts new york though, even though I’m an NJ resident…</p>
<p>I just know I took a big risk when I submitted my work to YoungArts. </p>
<p>My Creative Non-Fiction was over the page requirements, luckily I didn’t get disqualified. I was told that they gave me a score, so I’m hoping that’s a good thing. </p>
<p>Visual Art: It was really hard trying to pick from tons of art work that I have done under 2 years. I really wish YoungArts Visual Art submissions were like a college portfolio type submission. Where you can submit 15-30 images. I also wish that they had a Digital Art category! Scholastics has one, because they understand that some people can be subjective when it comes to comparing Fine Art to Digital Art. </p>
<p>The last thing that I would complain about YoungArts is…</p>
<p>They should open up the competition to 19 year olds…if they can open up to 15 years olds, why not 19?</p>
<p>I was not only rejected once, not twice, but THREE rejection letters from YoungArts! OUCH! >__< Better luck next year it said-- to bad I have aged out of every art competition that I can find to redeem myself from YoungArts rejection sting. Oh well-- what can you do! I’m still seating on a almost a full ride to an art school of my dreams…</p>
<p>Best of luck to everyone else who has yet to find if they are winners and congrats to all the winner of this year, it was a tuff one people!</p>
<p>My very talented son, a pianist who has won state several times and a semi-finalist in international comps received a rejection letter… so hard, but congrats to all winners!</p>
<p>My S got two rejections yesterday - painful as you say, but nice to know he is not alone! And he has two more years of eligibility, so he will definitely try again. Congrats to all of this year’s winners!</p>
<p>Perhaps we should start another list somewhere…Stunningly Gifted Kids (including my own) who didn’t get anywhere with YA. I know of several who applied who also received their letters yesterday-absolutely speechless about that. From the other end of it, and I mean years from now, when it comes down to choosing someone for a professional position, the most important quality is how the person performs-end of story. Keep working, keep smiling and don’t give up! Cheers to the winners and my hat’s off to those who didn’t quite make it-remember, this is only the beginning.</p>
<p>When I think that Nicki Minaj was a YA finalist for theatre- that put it all into perspective for me! Geesh- this is a very subjective competition and there is no rhyme or reason as to who “wins”. My daughter didn’t even apply because she said this kind of competition doesn’t really mean much to her. If my kids were not in the performing arts, I never would have heard of this program and I couldn’t even name 10 winners off the top of my head. If you get selected- great- but if you don’t- really- are you going to let it affect you and the rest of your studies? You just gotta move on! Stepping off my soap box now!</p>
<p>Hi Supportive-couldn’t have said it any better-thank you. When these kids graduate and start auditioning for professional positions, the resume will list their awards, but no one cares-it’s all about the final product. And, all of these types of competitions are subjective…very. Nicky Minaj? Who is that? LOL!</p>
<p>Aww, thanks ProMusician! I also think that if you were selected as a finalist, it doesn’t mean that you are better than everyone else either! It’s just like the business- being in the right place at the right time! Just think of many of the top box office draws- many of them either dropped out of high school, dropped out of college after one year, or never went to college at all. None of them even entered these competitions. To me, it’s more about bragging rights for some people. My opinion is not out of jealousy or anything like that. I’m just a realist. Okay- stepping off my soap box again.</p>
<p>My daughter was a Merit winner last year and received so many letters from them urging her to apply again (they need to generate lots of numbers; the competition is self-perpetuating) that I talked her into submitting another application. I know her application was better this year by a magnitude-- yet, she apparently did not even place (as far as I know, that is. She’s away at a highly selective college program in her discipline and I’m assuming she’d have told me, if she had received a letter.) Of course, I more disappointed than she is. I doubt she even remembers that the results must be in.</p>
<p>wrencher94, my heart goes out to you, but as someone who has judged arts competitions, I can tell you that winning may mean something but losing means <em>nothing</em>. If you could be a fly on the wall during judging and could see the factors that go into these decisions you would understand that they are not meaningful. </p>
<p>From what I’ve seen over the past 4 years (one of my older kids was also a merit winner at NFAA) those who go on to finals are often extremely gifted, but there are some odd results and some very odd omissions. Don’t sweat it-- it would have been a really fun experience to go to Miami, but the read world out there is what matters. Mazel tov to all of you!</p>
<p>The two kids from my daughter’s school who were finalists last year are not extremely gifted. They were both boys too. One of them was a second year senior (dance). He is a hip hop dancer but I don’t know what the panel saw in him at all. Again- JMHO! glassharmonica- so sorry that your daughter was encouraged to reapply and to get the results she did. We parents always take it harder than they!</p>
<p>My daughter received her rejection yesterday. She was fine, I think I was more vested in the opportunity for her. She auditioned for MT – did anyone else think that it was odd that there was no resume requirement? Congrats to the finalists and the HM and Merit winners!</p>
<p>Just to put a little of this into perpective. My S is a finalist for voice (classical) so we have seen a list of most of the voice finalists on their facebook group. So, they chose about 20 voice finalists - roughly 1/3 classical, 1/3 pop and 1/3 jazz. That means about 6-7 classical voice finalists. Of those, 1/2 are boys and 1/2 girls. So…they chose roughly (because I haven’t seen the official list), 3 girls for classical voice…out of how many 1000 applicants? (and at least a couple of the finalists are already in college even though they are 18). So, I would not feel bad if your child did not make finalist. The odds were very, very slim. Many, many talented kids did not make it this year. As I stated in another thread, my S was helped by being an unusual voice type (bass) and having a personality that comes across well on video. Also, IMO, the judges are very conscious of racial and gender balance.</p>
<p>D received her rejection notice yesterday, she spent about 1 hour being disappointed and has already moved on. Megpmom, I saw the FB groups going up, read the tweets of excitement or disappointment and was horrified that weeks before the majority of the notices went out, some of the results were all over the social media. IMHO, this is incredibly tacky at worst and insensitive at best. Why not announce all at the same time or let those who have not been selected know first so that they don’t spend weeks trying to figure out what is going on? Luckily, my D didn’t see anything (especially because she passed the pre-screening was doing an EA audition at a highly selective college in her field). I was growing increasingly alarmed at the possibility that she would find out and become upset, thus possibly undermining her confidence. Thankfully, she sees the bigger picture and although it would have been nice, she’s working hard for the other projects in her near future.</p>
<p>I go between being extremely thankful and amazed that an organization such as YA even exists in this sports-minded country, and being irritated at how the announcements have been made. Indeed, there is a very slim chance for many insanely talented kids to “win”, especially with the care that YA takes to fairly represent our diverse, rich culture. I applaud YA for that, and hope that they will take into consideration the feelings of those who waited the longest and got the least.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand all the upset and horror here…our kids are going into the arts, a notoriously fickle field. If they don’t have thick skin by now, maybe they are heading into the wrong profession. YoungArts is a competition…it is based solely on the audition tape. Period. Why would a resume matter? Who cares what training they have had, or what performances they have been in? Is it subjective? Yes. If your child did not get recognized, does that mean they aren’t talented? No! Did YA pick the best of the best, and everyone would agree that this is the case? Probably not. This is the nature of the arts. While there is definitely talent involved, it is very subjective! Will some of their winners go on and become famous? Undoubtedly. Will all of them? Absolutely not.</p>
<p>YA notifies the winners first because some of the winners decline the week in Florida due to conflicts, and YA substitutes someone else lower on their list. In this day and age, people are going to find out who won when the winners post things on social media. That’s life in 2012. Do you think it will be any different for college acceptances? My D has seen some of her friends get into schools already this year with on-the-spot acceptances at auditions. Is she upset or horrified or is her self-confidence shattered? NO! She is happy for them. She is doing her best, and whatever happens, happens. Everything else is out of her control. </p>
<p>As one of my D’s directors once said: “You may be the best pumpkin pie spice in the world. But if the casting director of college program director is looking for pepper for her recipe, you are NOT going to be picked. That doesn’t mean you are not talented.” If your child took a shot and applied to YA, good for them for trying. Congratulations to the winners. But if they didn’t make it, brush yourself off and move on. It’s going to be a very long few months (or years) getting through the college process if something like this throws you and your child for a loop.</p>
<p>Sorry to be so blunt, but really…it’s just a competition, people. If you lost, life will go on, and your child still has every chance at following their passion in the arts. How wonderful for them that they can keep on trying.</p>