The Young Creative Awards is Nottingham’s biggest creative event of the year! Open to young people aged 11-24, living or working in Nottingham, the competition showcases 10 categories including music, photography, dance, fashion and graphic design.
Each year, an overwhelming number of entrants for the YCA come from Nottingham College’s pool of inspirational and talented students. These awards are a wonderful opportunity for students to share their individual creativity, gain confidence and have the chance to win prizes plus support and mentorship.
The 2025 Young Creative Awards are now officially open and the deadline for entries is 11:59pm on Tuesday 25th March.
This year’s list of categories are as follows:
- Animation & Digital Media
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Design & Architecture
- Fashion & Textiles
- Film
- Graphic Design
- Music
- Photography
- Visual Arts
The Young Creative Awards are a charity that aims to shine a light on young talent from across the city. Winners and runners up will not only receive a range of prizes, but also benefit from mentoring, work placements and professional development opportunities. Each year thirty young people are awarded in a live creative showcase and networking event in the city centre.
Since its inception in 2009, the Young Creative Awards has become a platform for showcasing and celebrating Nottingham’s incredible talent. Over the years, the awards have highlighted the work of some of the city's most creative individuals, including poet, playwright, and performer Bridie Squires, acclaimed singer-songwriter Rob Green, and artist Aimee East, who reached the finals of the BBC’s Best Young Artist competition.
Once entrants have submitted their work, a team of judges reigning from all over Nottingham within the relevant creative field will choose runners up and winners for each category. The winners will be announced at an extra special award ceremony alongside an exhibition that showcases the range of talent that took part.
Mandi Chandler, Head of Student Experience said:
"The Young Creative Awards are a highlight on my annual Calander as the event at Nottingham Playhouse is such a fantastic celebration of creativity in Nottingham, and never fails to impress and inspire me."
"I encourage all our students to enter. It's easy and free! You can select your best work to submit that you have completed at college or in your own time, you can enter multiple categories and it can even be a group project.
“The Competition is open to all and we have had some amazing Nottingham College winners over the years who have used it as a platform for some amazing opportunities; getting their work published, recording deals, masterclasses with professionals, work experience, and sponsorship from established creative companies. This is a unique Nottingham initiative everyone should support.”
Mandi Chandler
Find out more about the individual categories, the criteria and how to apply here: Categories | Nottingham Young Creatives
