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.

SEMIFINALIST INTERVIEWS (ROUND 2)

On the Chapman University campus.