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Judging

JUDGING CRITERIA

WHAT IS AN ARTIST OF THE YEAR?

Students nominated for Artist of the Year represent the top student artists in Orange County. Students are nominated by arts teachers and private instructors because they represent excellence in their artform(s).

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WHO CAN BE NOMINATED? An Artist of the Year is any student high school  JUNIOR or SENIOR artist who lives or attends school in Orange County.

 

Artists of the Year demonstrate the following attributes (i.e. this is what we consider when judging the students for Artist of the Year):

TALENT and TECHNIQUE

  • The artist demonstrates talent.

  • The artist has talent that has been developed through training.

  • The artist has strong technique.

  • The artist has shown complexity in technique.

  • The artist has aptitude in a variety of styles and abilities.

 

ARTISTIC VISION

  • The artist has a unique vision and voice that is expressed through her/his/their art form.

  • The artist has a strong sense of imagination in her/his/their art form.

  • The artist demonstrates an understanding of the intellectual content in her/his/their work created.

 

GROWTH and IMPACT

  • The artist has demonstrated growth in her/his/their art form.

  • The artist has an understanding of her/his/their personal artistic growth.

  • The artist's work has had an impact on others.

  • The artist has a sense what she/he/they wants to explore and contribute to the world via her/his/their art form.

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HEART (the intangibles)

  • There is something undefinable about this artist that makes you root for her/him/them.

  • The artist is passionate about her/his/their art form.

  • The artist has eloquence/insight when speaking about her/his/their art form.

While some preliminary scoring may be used to identify top students, ultimate decisions are not made by calculating a numerical score.

 

During each round of evaluation, judges engage in a conversation, discussing each of the attributes above, and come to a consensus when choosing the top students.

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How It Works

HOW IT WORKS

NOMINATIONS

TEACHERS nominate their top students in seven areas: Theater, Dance, Instrumental Music, Vocal Musc, Film and TV, Media Arts, & Fine Arts.

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STUDENTS complete a nomination application.

ROUND 1

JUDGING

High school teachers evaluate the applications and choose semi-finalists in every specialty.

SEMIFINALISTS

Approximately

12 to 15 students from each discipline are chosen as semi-finalists from the Round 1 judging.

ROUND 2

JUDGING

A panel of pro artists, college arts faculty, and high school arts teachers evaluate semi-finalists after in-person interviews.

FINALISTS

Round 2 judges select one finalist in each specialty for each discipline.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

One finalist from each discipline, 7 total, will be named Artist of the Year.

Timeline

IMPORTANT DATES for 2023

IMPORTANT DATES

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ALL dates subject to change.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

TEACHER NOMINATIONS DUE:

Friday, January 20, 2023 @ 10pm

STUDENT APPLICATIONS DUE:

Friday, February 3, 2023 @ 10pm

ROUND 1 JUDGING PANELS:

Late February / Early March

SEMIFINALIST INTERVIEWS (ROUND 2)

On the Chapman University campus.

DANCE:

Saturday, March 18, 2023

THEATER:

Monday, March 20, 2023

VOCAL MUSIC:

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC:

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

MEDIA ARTS:

Thursday, March 23, 2023

FINE ARTS:

Friday, March 24, 2023

FILM / TV:

Saturday, March 25, 2023

NEW DATE! AWARDS CEREMONY:

Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 5:30pm

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