Teen Arts Festival | Monmouth Arts

Welcome to the Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival! We’re thrilled to invite teens ages 13–19 to celebrate their creativity, connect with peers, and learn from professional artists. Whether your school has participated before or this is your first time joining us, the festival offers two exciting days in mid-March filled with professional critiques, interactive cross-disciplinary workshops, peer performances, and exhibitions. Students will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in a supportive, inspiring environment and receive valuable feedback from experienced artists.

We welcome high schools, middle schools, home-schooled students, art and music studios, and dance schools to participate. If your school isn’t registering, individual teens can join with parent guidance (for those under 18).

The 2026 Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival, presented in partnership with Monmouth NJ 250, embraces the theme “Art is Revolutionary.” This theme boldly recognizes that young creatives are not just participants in change; they are catalysts for it.

As America reflects on 250 years of its own evolving story, and Monmouth County reflects on its significant role in the struggle for independence, the festival draws a line from past to present: creativity has always fueled change. From the spirit that helped shape a new nation to the visions of today’s young artists, expression continues to drive progress, connection, and hope. We celebrate art’s ability to spark dialogue, inspire action, and shape the future. Monmouth Arts invites teens to bring their most daring visions, experiment across disciplines, and explore how art can be both deeply personal and profoundly revolutionary.

INFORMATION

Teachers and administrators are encouraged to reach out to Monmouth Arts with any questions about participating in the Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival! Our team is excited to support you and help make this a positive, enriching experience for you and your students. Explore the tabs below for details on: Registration & Guidelines, Registration Fees, Evaluation Forms, Adjudication Schedule, Workshop Proposals, Cover Art Contest, and Artwork Labels.

Questions?

Contact the Arts Education Manager, Devan Brash at:

Devan@monmoutharts.org

732.212.1890 x102

STEP 1

Registration is now open! Prior to registering, please read through the 2026 General Festival Guidelines and the guidelines for each discipline that your school plans to participate in. These guidelines can be found below.

The deadline to register is February 2, 2026.

Click here for the 2026 General Guidelines.

2026 GUIDELINES

Choir

Creative Writing/Poetry

Dance

Drama

Film/Video

Instrumental Solo and Small Instrumental Ensemble

Jazz and Large Instrumental Ensemble

Vocal Solos and Small Vocal Ensemble

2026 DUE DATES:

Registration Form: February 2, 2026

Payment for Registration: February 2, 2026

Evaluation Forms: February 13, 2026

Sheet Music: February 13, 2026

Video & Creative Writing Submissions: February 13, 2026

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Monmouth Arts is seeking professional artists who are interested in presenting workshops throughout the duration of the festival.

The 2026 Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival, presented with Monmouth NJ 250, embraces the theme “Art Is Revolutionary.” As we reflect on 250 years of change, the festival celebrates creativity as a catalyst for progress and connection. We invite teaching artists to design workshops that inspire teens to think boldly, experiment freely, and explore how art can spark dialogue and transformation.

We are looking for several workshops to carry out this theme in a variety of innovative and engaging ways for students aged 13-19. Please note, however, that to be considered proposals do not need to cater to the theme. We expect many of our workshops and masterclasses to be non-thematic.

If you or your organization is interested in submitting a workshop proposal, please fill out the Workshop Proposal Form by clicking the button below. Proposals will be reviewed as they come in and artists will be contacted as soon as possible to confirm acceptance. Workshop proposals are due February 2, 2026.

Workshop Proposal Form

Monmouth Arts invites student artists to submit designs to be considered for the cover of the 2026 Teen Arts Festival program! In addition to having your design on the cover of the program.

The Festival's theme this year is Art is Revolutionary. This theme is all about harnessing the vibrant energy of pop culture that inspires young artists and creators. Power of Pop captures the essence of contemporary experiences and interests, creating an engaging platform for all participants to express their creativity.

Deadline: February 13, 2026

Submission Guidelines:

Students submitting design work must be registered for the 2026 Monmouth Arts Teen Arts festival.
Designs should reflect the theme Art is Revolutionary.
Submissions should be original ideas only. Of course, we encourage you to be inspired by your favorite comics and characters but please only use original ideas and non-trademarked designs.
Monmouth Arts will add text as an overlay to the image with the festival name and relevant logos. The Monmouth Arts logo is available on our website to be used in your design as a placeholder for where you believe the logo should be within the design, but please be aware that Monmouth Arts reserves the right to alter those placements.
All visual art forms are welcome (traditional or digital art forms; photographs of 3-dimensional work are acceptable)
Designs must be submitted as a .pdf, in addition to the Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign file. Adobe files must include all editable layers. In other words, the file should be editable by our team. Altogether, a native file and an exported file must be submitted.
Size: 8.5" x 5.5" plus .125" bleed
A signed Submission Form must be sent in with the design in order to be considered. We will accept submissions from either individual students directly or educators on their behalf.
Submissions are due February 10th and the winner will be announced in early March.
Submission form and design must be emailed to Arts Education and Events Director, Devan Brash, at Devan@monmoutharts.org by 4:00 PM on Friday, February 6, 2025.