Entry Criteria
Photography by Sam Williams, Photography Winner 2024
The Young Creative Awards 2025 opens for entries on Monday 11th November 2024. The deadline for entries is 11:59pm on Tuesday 24 March 2025.
To enter the Young Creative Awards you must be between the ages of 11 and 24 years old at the closing date of the competition (24 March 2025).
You must: Live, Work or Study in Nottingham. Please open this map to view the eligible area of Nottingham, as agreed by the Young Creatives Nottingham Board of Trustees and YCA Operations Group. This includes the city of Nottingham and the surrounding towns/villages of Arnold, Beeston, Carlton, Clifton, Eastwood, Hucknall, Kimberley, Ruddington, Stapleford and West Bridgford. These are the parts of the "Nottingham Urban Area" (defined by the Office for National Statistics) within the county of Nottinghamshire.
Please note, if you do not meet the entry criteria your entry will not be considered.
Within each category, there are three age ranges. Each category is judged in each of the age ranges to make it as fair as possible:
- 11 – 15 years old
- 16 – 18 years old
- 19 – 24 years old
You may enter as an individual, as a group, or as a class, study group or club. If you are entering as a group, please let us know this on your application form and provide details of the main contact person.
You can enter in one or more of the 10 YCA categories, which are:
- Animation & Digital Media
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Design & Architecture
- Fashion & Textiles
- Film
- Graphic Design
- Music
- Photography
- Visual Arts
There is no specific theme or brief to the Young Creative Awards so you can enter work on any theme or subject of your choice. However, please check out the category descriptions above for category-specific entry requirements.
In each category the expert judging panels will aim to select a winner for each age group. There will also be other shortlisted finalists who are highly commended for the quality of the work submitted. The winners will all receive a certificate, plus professional development and showcase opportunities.
All winners and finalists will be featured in the Young Creative Awards programme. To see the winners and finalists of 2024, head over to the Categories pages.
Interested? Feel inspired? Learn more about submitting your entry by heading over to the Categories page and choosing which category is best for you.
We acknowledge AI is now used as a tool in many creative and technological processes. If AI has been used in the creative process, it needs to be referenced in the application.