How the Colorado Art Awards Uplift Youth and a More Creative Future

Article written by Ayah Al-Masyabi, Colorado Scholastics Gold Alumni

The Colorado Art Awards has been celebrating young artists since 1947, making the program 78 years old this year.  Each year, the program receives around 5,000 submissions of artwork from 7th to 12th graders all over the state, all with the hope of recognizing originality, skill, and voice. Winning works get to be displayed at statewide exhibitions, like at the Denver Art Museum and 40 West, with the possibility to earn national recognition.

Sierra Wheeler, Fort Collins High School, Parade of the Mind, Digital Art, Gold Key & Best In Grade 11

The impact of this program on young artists and the wider community is hard to overstate. Sharon Rouse, an art educator and Colorado Scholastics volunteer and docent at the Denver Art Museum, (a host of the exhibition), of over 40 years, shared, “We understand where this younger generation is going, and the fact that they can see things and they can put their opinions out there, and the quality of work, it truly becomes a mini world that recognizes the talent of these students and their voice.”

Sammy Newton, Arapahoe High School, Perennial Postal, Ceramics, Gold Key & Juror's Choice Award

At one exhibition, Rouse overheard someone say, “I wish the public could see what’s here. They would believe how wonderful kids are.” Her response? “I think that is why we do it.” One of the core missions of the Awards is to uplift and amplify young voices. A goal that benefits not only the artists themselves, but the cultural landscape of Colorado as a whole.

By awarding Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions, and American Visions & Voices Nominations, Colorado Art Awards validate the experiences of young people and recognize their creativity, pushing them toward future success. As one longtime volunteer put it, much of the program’s purpose is about reinforcing what’s ahead: “They show us hopes for the future… We need people who are creative, who can think outside the box, who can solve our future problems.”

In recent years, the program has expanded to include the Student Ambassador program, offering students hands-on experience in creative leadership. Adelyn Westfall, a high school student in 2024-2025 and now a Ambassador Coordinator for Colorado Art Awards, says the program helped her turn artistic ambition into real-world experience. “I’ve always been a creative person,” she shared during an interview. “I wanted to work for Disney at one point, but didn’t know the best path to get there.”

She says the program gave her valuable insight into multiple roles, from design work to event planning, and reinforced her belief that creative people can succeed in many different spaces. “You’re not doing the same thing every time. It’s versatile. And they’re so supportive of your ideas.” 

Tobin Walther, Denver School of the Arts, The Four Horsemen of the Trailer Park, Portfolio: Overlord in Fellowship, Senior Gold Key Portfolio & Juror's Choice Award

Eva Nobles, the Ambassador Coordinator, finds lots of value in the program for the students: “Students have been able to explore different areas of the art industry and develop their resume.” Since the Ambassador Program is currently unique to Colorado, Nobles hopes it will inspire similar models nationwide. Nobles said, “I think that we could really foster a lot more understanding of creativity and what that looks like as a working adult.”

With around 120 volunteers, clocking in around 1,600 hours annually, the Awards take a lot of effort; from judging, setting up displays, running programs, and more. This is made harder with an overall national decline in volunteering, the main support for the program. Miranda Ziegler, a volunteer for over 10 years and Executive Director of the program, said, “There's so much going on in the world that it's hard to focus on the good, and so we really encourage people to be a part of building the community and opportunities for youth here in Colorado.” 

Zachary Beguin, Legend High School, In the Wake of the Sun Portfolio, Photography Senior Gold Key Portfolio & Juror's Choice Award

The vision of the Colorado Art Awards is to celebrate and cultivate Colorado’s young voices – to illuminate their voices and the path ahead as growing creatives. This does not happen without the volunteers or supporters, like the Denver Rotary Club, a long-time champion of the program. However, there is still a great lack of funding and volunteers, making the already complicated program harder to run.

To learn more about the Colorado Art Awards and support their work, go to: coloradoartawards.org/support-us