2026 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH ART CONTEST

Submit your artwork for international review and exhibition opportunities.

The International Youth Art Contest 2026 invites young artists from around the world to submit original artworks for professional review and exhibition at the International Art Museum of America in San Francisco.

Building on the success of past years with 1,600+ artists and 3,800+ artworks from over 65 countries, the contest celebrates creativity, technical skill, and artistic voice across a wide range of media. Selected artworks will be featured in online and in-person exhibitions, with an awards ceremony held during the exhibition period.

The Award Ceremony will be presented by Mr. Guy Djoken, Executive Director of the UNESCO Center for Peace in Washington, D.C., with professional insights and remarks delivered by Prof. Adam Caldwell—Chair of the Jury Committee and faculty member at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco.

How the Selection Process Works

Round 1: Online Submission and Artwork Review
Students submit their profile information and 1–5 digital images of original artworks for jury review.

1. There will be a Non-Refundable $10 First Round Registration and Artwork Review Fee
2. This will cover submission intake, jury coordination, communications, and administrative processing costs
3. Paid once per submission (up to 5 digital artworks)

Based on jury panel evaluation, qualified people will be notified to advance to the second round

Round 2: In-Person Exhibition and Awards

1. Artworks that have scored in the top 30% from Round 1 will be invited to submit their physical artworks to the International Art Museum of America for 2nd round scoring. All physically submitted artworks will be exhibited.

Exhibition Fee

1. Discounted to $100 ($10 Paid in the 1st Round is credited toward this 2nd Round.) Candidates entering the second-round, semi-final stage will submit minimum one and no more than five artworks for a one-week exhibition for public viewing. The exhibition fee is $100 per painting plus a return shipping fee if the artworks are not self picked up.

Awards

1. All participants will be divided into four age groups: 5-6, 7-10, 11-14, and 15-18.
2. All second-round entries will be awarded exhibition certificates.
3. There will be one first-place winner in each age group, the winner receive an award certificate and a cash prize of $300.
4. There will be two second-place winners in each age group, each winner will receive an award certificate and a cash prize of $200.
5. There will be three third-place winners in each age group, each winner will receive an award certificate and a cash prize of $100.
6. 10 Honorary Mentions in each age group will receive Young Artist Awards.

Size Limit, Shipping and Handling Fee

1. The maximum size of the artwork is 18″ x 24″ (45 cm x 60 cm). Oversize paintings will need to be reviewed and approved by the International Youth Art Contest committee. Additional handling fee may be assessed.
2. Artwork in paper format doesn’t need to be framed. IAMA will provide frame rental and installation services (included in the registration fee).
3. All artworks will be returned to participants. Return shipment fees will be based on your country of submission and be prepaid.
   1. U.S. participants: flat $25 per painting.
   2. International participants: responsible for applicable international shipping rates.
4. Please consider the size and weight of your artwork, as these can significantly increase return costs. We are working with third‑party shippers to help reduce fees. Submitting artwork framed or on canvas will result in notably higher return shipping charges.
5. For the actual 2nd round submission, a more precise shipment fees will be stated and be part of the submission form.

FIRST ROUND APPLICATION

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Artist Name *

First

Last

Age Rank *

• 5-6
• 7-10
• 11-14
• 15-18

Parent's Name *

First

Last

Phone *

Email *

Region *— Select Choice —San Francisco Bay AreaUSA – West Coast, Non San FranciscoUSA – East CoastUSA – OthersCanadaChinaHong KongKoreaTaiwanJapanEuropeOthers

Address *

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

Postal Code

— Select country —AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia (Plurinational State of)Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo (Democratic Republic of the)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Kingdom of)EthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran (Islamic Republic of)IraqIreland (Republic of)Isle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea (Democratic People's Republic of)Korea (Republic of)KosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia (Federated States of)Moldova (Republic of)MonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth Macedonia (Republic of)Northern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine (State of)PanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Republic of ChinaTajikistanTanzania (United Republic of)ThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluTürkiyeUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican City StateVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)VietnamVirgin Islands (British)Virgin Islands (U.S.)Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland IslandsCountry

Organization or School *

Instructor / Art Professor

Referred by

Artwork Type *

• Digital Art – Non AI
• Color Pencil
• Oil Painting & Acrylic Painting
• Water Color
• Pencil Sketch or Ink Sketch
• Oil Pastel
• Marker
• Other

Upload Your Artwork *

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 5 files.

The deadline for the first round registration is April 27, 2026.

You will be notified by May 11, 2026 in terms of whether your artworks are qualified for the second round competition and exhibition.

& Total Organization

First Round Registration & Artwork Review Fee *

Price: $10.00

This $10 fee supports the review and administrative processing of your submission. If selected for the Second Round, this fee will be credited toward your exhibition option, reducing the in-person exhibition fee from $110 to $100.

Total

$0.00

Square *

Card

Name on Card

Artwork use authorizational for promotions *

• Confirm. I agree that my artwork can be used for promotional purposes

Age & Authorization Confirmation *

• Confirm that you are at least 18 years old and you are authorized to act on behalf of the participant.

Submit Registration to the First Round of The 2026 International Youth Art Contest

Submission Deadline: April 27th, 2026

Apply Now

Please note: Not all Second Round submissions will be selected for exhibition. Exhibition placement and award eligibility are determined solely by jury scoring.

For any questions, please email international.youth.art@internationalartmuseum.org

In the News

Our 2026 International Youth Art Contest has been featured by major media outlets:

【經濟日報】IAMA啟動2026年國際青少年繪畫展徵件 入圍者躍登國際舞台

【中央通訊社】IAMA國際青少年繪畫展賽徵件 5至18歲皆可報名