Finding the Warhol, Picassos and Michael Armitage’s of the Future

This year, we have seen the highest number of InterHigh students entering the Royal Academy of Arts’ ‘Young Artists’ Summer Show’ since it launched three years ago. More than 50 young artists from our school have entered over 80 pieces of artwork to the competition.

We are so proud of all our students who have entered and want to celebrate the creativity and talent we have seen so far – a big well done to every one of you!

With entries open until 26 April, other InterHigh students interested in getting involved still have plenty of time! The competition is free to enter and open to students aged five to 19 studying in the UK and British schools overseas. By taking part, students are not only developing a range of practical and creative skills and gaining valuable experience of entering exhibitions and competitions but are also building a portfolio of work and networking with stakeholders in the art world.

While pursuing related jobs can sometimes be challenging when your passion lies in the arts, music or sporting industries, it should never limit your aspirations. Instead, it is about identifying the opportunities which will help you reach your full potential and stand out from the crowd. This includes adding extra-curricular activities and opportunities to your portfolio or curriculum vitae and is something we always encourage and support students at InterHigh to do.

In the case of the arts, what better way to have your creative skills appreciated by a wide audience, with the chance of opening up longer term opportunities, than being judged by artists and arts professionals and having your work displayed online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts?

Whether or not a student wins in any of the key stage categories and takes home a prize, really doesn’t matter. Our previous students who have taken part have undoubtedly benefitted from the experience and enjoyed the journey. Ultimately, it’s all about being able to add your involvement with the highest calibre name in the art world; namely the Royal Academy of Arts to your CV. That is what drives our incredibly talented students to enter this award.

As summarised by the Young Artists’ Summer Show team “Artists are at the heart of everything we do at the Royal Academy of Arts – we’ve been championing them since 1768 and firmly believe in nurturing young talent and celebrating the next generation of artists. Taking inspiration from the annual Summer Exhibition, the Young Artists’ Summer Show is an opportunity for young artists aged 5 – 19 years to exhibit their work online and on-site at the Royal Academy. The project is generously supported by Robin Hambro, a passionate advocate for the importance of access to art, and the benefits of encouraging the arts, for children and young people.”

The closing date is 26 April 2021, followed by the judging process which takes place in May. The online and on-site exhibitions then open from 11 July 2021. Prizes are awarded for two artworks from each key stage.

We have some seriously talented individuals at InterHigh and can’t wait to see an even wider range of incredible work on display this year. We’re encouraging all students to ensure they stand out from the crowd and open up their future career opportunities by taking part.

For inspiration, here are some of our current entries, our previous entries can be found on our Facebook page:

Good luck to everyone taking place, we are so proud!