When your kid makes a piece of art, they’re also building confidence, processing feelings, and creating connections. That’s what we’re celebrating with the Outschool Visual Arts Showcase—and your kid could win up to $1,000 USD* in prize value, a one-year Outschool Membership and a billboard in Times Square!










I admire artists who experiment with color, especially Mary Blair, who uses colors that don't always match real life but make you feel a certain way. In this piece, I transform NYC’s busy gray streets into a dreamlike, storybook scene. My goal is to make an overwhelming place feel playful and magical. Inspired by Blair’s concept art, I highlight NYC’s diversity—a patchwork of cultures and people—using geometric shapes and bright colors to show a unified, vibrant rhythm.


The picture is called Spring. It makes me feel calm and happy. I like how the sky looks soft and colorful at the end of the day. I am a child. I love drawing, especially with paints. I like playing with my cat and my friends.

Hi! I made a silly, sweet dog who rules his cozy home like a king. I love animals, so I gave him big eyes and floppy ears and built him a happy little world with books, plants, and a comfy bed. It makes me feel warm, playful, and proud—like I’m right there hanging out with him!

I enjoyed creating The Man in the Turban. This beautiful person of color has so much emotion in his eyes. I wanted to capture it! Experimenting with texture in the jewelry, wrinkles, and turban challenged me, in a fun way! They required time and concentration to get just right. I’m enjoying using new tools like high-quality “artist” pencils. And finally, my Outschool teacher, Ms. Kristy, makes drawing super amazing and fun.

My name is River. For most of my life, the ocean, the city, art and games have inspired me. I grew up by the ocean,the salty sea makes me happy. I've always loved the tech lights and tall buildings in cities like New York and Tokyo. I love video games, particularly retro-games. As you can see, I also love art, especially drawing, building and acting. And of course I love cats!

My name is Caroline. My artwork is inspired by NASA’s female astronauts who have helped expand human exploration of space. Their courage inspire me to dream about the future, to become an astronaut and explore outer space, to help humanity better understand the universe. The red and white koi (fish flowing around the astronaut’s helmet ) are known for swimming upstream, representing humanity’s determination to overcome challenges and push beyond limits even when faced with uncertainty.

Limitless is an art piece of a beautiful beach with a sunset, no stops, and horizon till the end to show no limits. My inspiration was that many of my days have been spent at the beach; and when I meditated, I would go there in my mind. I love the memories of sand castles and swimming in the waves. The sunset at the beach is beautiful, and it shows a day of fun was had.

I like drawing and using lots of colors. I made this picture by imagining I am standing in the middle of a city and looking up at tall buildings all around me. The buildings are all different and colorful. I was inspired by New York City and how big everything looks when you look up. I wanted my city to look fun and bright, so I used many colors and shapes. This picture makes me feel happy and excited like I am in a big city.

I love making art and using bright colors. My artwork shows a sweet birthday celebration with a piece of cake that looks like ice cream. I was inspired by birthdays, celebrations, and sweet treats. I used bright colors and sprinkles to make it feel fun and exciting, like a party. The candle represents making a wish. This artwork makes me feel happy, excited, and remembering special moments.


I drew this because I love snakes and all the tiny details about them, their scales and eyes as they can be like human eyes or slits like cats and I have been practicing drawing hands for a bit and I am extremely happy with this peice and I hope that it means something.

As a cancer survivor, I am always trying to make up for my own perceived loss of time during treatment. Often I work like a machine - balancing school, dance, kickline, acrobatics, work, art and time with my friends. Similarly, dance requires perfection. There is no gray. You either nail it or you don’t. This creates tremendous stress which I struggled with for many years. The juxtaposition of the dancer and the machinery represents how I am overwhelmed by my own expectations.

So I like to draw a lot of buildings, ranging from small lodges, to big skyscrapers. I got inspired by all the books I read (I read, a LOT), and decided to make a Storybook row about the fairytales. It makes me feel kinda' magical you know, like all these little details that make it feel alive.
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I love drawing, especially animals because I'm also an animal lover. Our main thing was a snail in art class, and I made him a suit. My favorite animal is a fox so I drew one. I made the fox's cheeks and the fox and snail were looking at each other and so I made a heart to show they were in love. This picture makes me feel happy, proud, and love.


I love the original and retro style animations. I wanted to create my favourite character in that style.


I am inspired by so many things, everyday: Media—with my favourite mysteries and my sister’s desperately awkward romance anime. Work—with the vast number of stories I see in shifts at the library. Family—with my sister’s brilliant mind and own art pushing me to create. In this piece, I wanted to combine all my inspirations through the lens of a day at my desk, with scenes popping off paper scraps in a self portrait of artistic inspiration.


Hi!My name is Alice and I am 6 years old. One day I laid down in the grass and looked up — the flower was SO BIG, bigger than my whole head! I thought: this is what it feels like to be a tiny bug. So magical! I painted the big flower, a bee (bees are flowers' best friends), hearts because nature fills my heart, and a mushroom (little bug houses). LOTS of colours because nature has lots! The world is SO BIG and SO BEAUTIFUL and I'm just a tiny little girl in it. Everyone should look up sometimes.

this art work makes me feel sad for the bird🐦⬛ on the left, let me explain. the bird on the left is using a jet pack, not its wings it is sad because now it has no perpous for its wings. while the bird on the right is using its wings soring freely and not a jet pack. the bird on left is using a jet pack because engineers went to far and now it can't fly without a jet pack the end.

I really love to paint sunsets so when I heard about this contest I knew I had to make a huge one! This painting shows a flock of birds flying south over a forest at sunset. When I look at this painting I can't help but wonder, are the birds flying towards something or are they flying away?

Hello! My name's Sybil, and I make a bunch of OCs when I'm bored! I played a game called Cookie Run: Kingdom, and there were two new costumes that were in the game which was a playwright and actor. I got inspired by it, and drew some costumes for my two OCs - Pluvia and Tempestade (Tempestade is male). I always got a feeling of calmness and solemness when i look at the art. It does feel relaxing, like a calm dance.

My name is Luca, and I love Poppy Playtime. Some people think it’s scary, but I think it’s exciting and full of mystery. I like figuring out what will happen next and imagining how I would escape. It feels like an adventure in my brain. It makes me feel curious, brave, and proud when I solve things, even if they’re a little scary.

I’m 9 years old. I love drawing, swimming and being with my brother. I love art because I can express myself and my ideas flow to the paper! I am inspired by my thoughts, activities and favorites! I love drawing with my Outschool art teacher, Sandra Goodwin!

I was inspired to draw this colorful abstract cat because I am obsessed with cats. the colors in the back are like me because i am hyper and colorful. I am not here to win just to show my art and If I do that would be nice so I can buy some books and do more clubs. I hope you enjoy looking at my art.

My name is Alia and I wanted to share this pice of artwork because I feel so proud I was able to make it. I am honestly not that focused on wining, but more on showing people what I am most talented at, but I DEFINITELY don’t mind winning! By the way, a Deadly Nater is a dragon that can shoot spikes from its tail and can produce a fire blast from its throat to attack if needed.

Hi! My name is Pip and I absolutely love drawing! It is my favorite hobby to do in my spare time. This is my piece “Two Birds are Better Than One.” This is one of my favorite pieces because it highlights the teamwork between two birds building a cozy nest together, it also shows that teamwork goes a long way. It makes the title come to life, showing that two birds really are better than just one bird.

I am Emily, the creator of this piece. This is a redesign of my original character Kentor Chehiri. I wanted to make this design more unique and him then the previous one was. This piece makes me feel proud of how far I improved in art and character design.


My name is Maia, and I aspire to become a professional artist one day. What inspired this piece was my love and admiration of wolves and their loyalty and fierce protection of their pack, as well as their beauty and grace. This drawing makes me feel free and I feel fierce love of nature and animals alike when I look at it.

Hi, my name is Malcolm and I am taking a few of the Outschool drawing classes. This art piece was inspired by a horror game called Poppy Playtime, where all the toys in a toy factory come to life to take revenge on their creators. I enjoy the game very much because it’s not too scary and I find the characters really fun to draw. I really enjoyed making this piece and I hope you enjoy it too.

Hi, my name is Hana! I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, but I picked it up even more as of last year. I made this artwork for my sibling's birthday to depict our view during the concert of K-pop group Seventeen. We had such an amazing time so I tried my best to capture the magic and thrill of the moment! I am really proud of the color and detail in this piece. Looking at it brings me back to the awesome time I shared with my sibling :)

Hi, I'm Lianna and I like to dance, play with my friends, go to the beach and I love to draw. My drawing is called "A beautiful world starts with you" because each person has the power and responsibility to make the world a better place. The big green tree symbolizes growth, strength, and a healthy environment. The sun, birds, butterflies, heart, and flowers all represent life, love, peace, and harmony in nature. The heart especially shows that we should care for the Earth with love.

I love drawing and anything fashion related. I spend most of my free time drawing, reading, and looking through my old sketchbooks. In one of my sketchbooks I found a really pretty purple and blue dress, and decided to recreate it for the showcase. I hope the judges like it as much as I do!

I'm Ella-Gayle. I love to read, and I especially enjoy drawing. I have been drawing my whole life. I do digital art as well. My favorite Outschool classes are 'Draw Every Day' with Mr. Dustin and 'Procreate Studio' with Ms. Uli. I call this drawing "Meg", and it was inspired by Disney Princesses. It makes me feel like I am a Disney Character Designer. When I grow up, I want to be a famous artist.

I’m obsessed with nature. Our family spends half the year doing van life around the country. Mostly visiting beautiful mountains and oceans. This special painting which is 6’ tall was inspired by my hikes through the forests of California. I did a whole series of paintings called “Nature”. The green and blue represent the sky and the orange is for the sunlight. I take art classes 2x week from Ms Jennifer on Outschool and I’m super inspired by the abstract artists I’m learning about in her class


My name is Emma! This piece is of my OC Saito. He loves to read and is the nerd of the group. I decided to draw him because I relate to him and I love to read:)

My name is Aslan. I am 8 years old and I do an art class. This is one of my favorite projects from class and I wanted to put it in the contest. I used watercolor, oil pastels, and a picture of myself to create this piece. I feel happy when I look at this art and I hope you will, too!

Hi! I’m Arianna and I chose this piece because it’s inspired by my favorite book series; Wings of Fire. Misty is my OC which stands for original character. I drew her standing on a cliff, surrounded by a lake. In the background there’s a foggy forest, that represents her home. The process of making this sketch was very challenging but the result feels extremely rewarding. I hope you like it!

Hi my is Winter. I wanted to draw this because I really love wolves. I love all types of canines but the wolf is my favorite wild animal. I like how wolves have one leader of the group which is the Alpha. They are the protectors of the pack and help guide them to keep them safe. Painting this makes me feel like I want to paint some more. I love looking at this painting and staring into the wolves eyes. This painting is now hanging in my art room so it can be seen everyday.

My name is Sercie and I love drawing people and their expressions. I have five siblings (three biological), so I’m always surrounded by different personalities that inspire my art. This piece is inspired by a homeschooled Olympian and the quiet strength it takes to follow your own path. I created it with markers and pen, focusing on emotion in the eyes and face. Art is my escape and a way to capture the stories I see in people.

this painting is using acrylic, It is my best painting featuring a man following a light with faith, I love this painting for all of the different meaning to it, i don't paint often but when I do I like it as a side project, I also play soccer, piano and I love singing!!

I'm Luka, a great painter and my best artwork is painting by making splashes of colors together. The cracks and waves of this painting makes me feel like I'm looking at the water. My favorite type of art is abstract, and this is one of my favorite and best abstract paintings.

I love to do art and I love playing outside, especially around flowers. What inspired this piece is how butterflies’ wings shimmer in the sunlight, which is why I wanted to create this. It makes me feel really excited, and when I’m feeling down, it helps me feel happy. The purple flowers have bowtie leaves because I was feeling silly, fun, and happy when I made it.

Hi I'm Mariah! Ever since I was little I've always enjoyed arts and crafts. I grew to love drawing when I realized how pretty art can be. Black beauty is what inspired this drawing. My parents always affirm me and teach me to embrace my natural beauty. I hope others look at this drawing and find confidence and self worth in the skin they are in because Black Is Beautiful and all are too!

My English name is Murphy I play baseball and is a big fan of dodgers. Once I watched “Interstellar” I am interested in planets so I create this to show how small humans and civilizations are to the universe. this makes me feel joyful because I love to express my feeling to others this artwork gives me a feeling of awe.

This painting is inspired by SZA’s SOS album cover, where she’s sitting alone at the edge of a diving board surrounded by the ocean. That image was based on a famous photo of Princess Diana sitting the same way on a yacht in 1997. I wanted to capture a similar feeling of isolation and not belonging, even as the world watches. The blue tones represent calm on the outside but sadness underneath.

I love to make different art work. I have dyslexia, and art helps me express myself or my thoughts with no words. I painted this because teachers forget that even though I struggle with my writing, I do know how to express myself. People who are different feel lost in the shadows. My artwork makes me feel happy because I know that in the end I am bright. That is why I draw my star, and my face.

I’m a weaver and garment maker who pushes each project to teach me something new. I wove the striped, polka dot, and solid fabrics on an 8-shaft loom using the yarn shown, then constructed these boots from scratch on a last. This was my first time making boots. The project involved shaping with heat and stiffeners, setting grommets, securing heels, and adding leather trim. I love polka dots for both their look and structural challenge. This piece reflects my process: learning by doing.

hi! My name is Payton S. I am 10 years old, i live in a growing town in Indiana! i love theater, singing, and esspecially art!!! i also love my dog, georgia! she is the best dog ever. so thats what i encorperated in my piece. i think i would be amazing to win the money, but even more amazing to have my piece showcased in times square in New York!!!!!!!🫶🏻

This piece shows what it's like to be me. My brain is wired differently than many people’s, so I notice things and understand the world in my own way. Like me, the figure is vulnerable, but also calm and focused. The shapes above me are the things that help me orientate and stay attached to the world, like time, patterns, and space. Showing the world what it's like to be me makes me feel strong.
My name is Yasna, I like anime, cats, drawing and writing. My animation is about my OC Wolf, my ocs inspire me to get better at drawing and animation so that I can create more pieces with them in it. My animation makes me feel proud because it’s the longest animation I’ve made so far.


Hello! I'm Nora, and I love to draw. I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon and hope to be an artist some day! I love digital art and like drawing people, realism, hands, eyes, or just simple characters!

My name is Hunter and I enjoy drawing anime. I have taken anime classes on Outschool over the years. Some of my favorite classes have been Shine: Drawing Club: Drawing Anime Step by Step for New Beginners with Ms. Roxy, Epic Character Art: Premier Sketching With a Pro Artist with Ms. Roxy, and Anime 101-Anime and Manga Drawing for Beginners with Ms. Harriet. The classes have really helped me improve my drawing skills and I am excited to continue on my art journey.


I love Wings of Fire and wanted to create an original character based on the books to use in my own story. Magnolia is a dragon who got her leg cut off in the war and has to juggle both school and running her kingdom. She also has a pet lemur, named Sage, and sisters she has to care for since her parents died. Magnolia is strong and fierce and perseveres through hard challenges and also asks for help when she needs it and I want to be like her (minus the losing limbs and parents bit :) ).

My name is Evan and I am 11 years old from Phoenix, Arizona. Growing up in Arizona, my inspiration is the desert sunset of the Sonoran. Some people don’t view the desert as beautiful, but I do. I love looking out at the magnificent mountains, the tall Sahuaro Cacti, and the sun falling behind the landscape. The desert view inspires me to explore and see what lies beyond the mountains. I am color blind, so I chose to create this artwork in a black and white sketch, showing detail in the shading.

I love art and have been studying it since preschool. I spend much of my free time at art classes or drawing in my sketchbook. This art was inspired by the snow we had this year and my love for nature especially highland cows. I hope to be an artist when I grow up.

Hi! I am Leon, I like to make busts of people out of polymer clay because, I like how they show all aspects of the person. I made a bust of Ludwig Van Beethoven. He first inspired me to learn about music, and then he inspired me to start music lessons! I want to be as good of a piano player as Beethoven. He is one of my favorite classical composers of all time!

This art piece was inspired by a weeping willow and represents loneliness. I created it late at night and had soo much fun bringing her to life. Now she hangs in my stairway and depending on the day, the characters expression seems to change. Sometimes she appears peaceful; others she seems much more sad.

Hi my name is Cristina! This piece was inspired by one of the protagonists in my favorite novel series, The Powerless trilogies' Kai Azer. In the story his childhood is full of battles. The battles of his own fears and the battles of protecting the people he loves. As a Bear protects it's family and it's forests, this is the perfect animal to present Kai (his bouncy brown curls and a Bears brown fur match as well). This drawing came out much better than expected! I am very proud of my creation.

This piece was inspired by Greek mythology, specifically the story of Icarus. This piece is representing the last moments of Icarus’s plummet to the Icarian sea which the sea was named after. This piece makes was a slight depression vibe because of the final moments of reflection of Icarus’s life, and I wonder if he thought he had a good life and if he did okay and what awaits him next, but our eyes will simply never live to tell the tale.

This is the original version of Godzilla. During his first appearance in 1954 he was black and white, so I decided that using his original colors would keep a faithful design to his debut appearance, and would also feel original for today's standards. Without his first appearance and that original idea of him the franchise of Godzilla would have never started in the first place, so choosing this design is meant to give respect to the first model that ever came out.


My name is Roan and I like the Legend of Zelda. I was inspired by a guardian stalker. It makes me feel happy and like my hard work is good. It also makes me feel like I did a really good job.
Hi my name is Mizla and im 10yo, I started to do Lego stop motion and claymation a couple months ago on an outschool class (I inspired my little brother Mizra to participate as well), I saw the contest and I though to do a Lego stop motion movie, I like animal crossing, so I decided to do a Lego stop motion animal crossing. Thank you

Hi, my name is Corissa. My dream is to be an artist when I grow up and if you pick my painting it would mean the world to me. This is a painting about a girl bunny named Pinky and a boy bunny named Bob, and in this scene they are having a picnic enjoying the day. Thank you for the consideration.

These Outschool art teachers are experts in their fields and champions of creativity.




Whether your kid is just starting their creative journey or has a project ready to go, you’ll find classes that meet them where they are and bring out their best.
Learners ages 6 to 18 in the United States, United Kingdom, (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland only), Australia and Canada (excluding Quebec) (see showcase rules for regional participation limits and award eligibility details) can enter if their family has an active Outschool Membership or enrollment. New to Outschool? Become a member today!
Not at all! The Visual Arts Showcase is open to every eligible learner, whether they’re new to creating art or already taking classes. They don’t need to be enrolled in an Outschool art class to participate. What matters most is their creativity, effort, and artistic voice.
Log in to your Outschool account and fill out the form above. Upload a high-resolution image or a 1-minute video of your learner’s artwork (vertical 9x16 preferred; max 150MB) and add the artwork’s title plus a note about why your learner chose it. If you have trouble uploading, check our troubleshooting tips or contact Outschool Support for help.
Make sure to enter using the parent email linked to your Outschool account. If a teacher invited you to the Showcase, add their profile link so we can thank them. Submitting for more than one learner? Fill out a new form for each.
Artwork should connect to the theme, ‘Something That Inspires Me,’ and must be original and created by the learner. If your learner uses any material they did not create themselves, it must be clearly changed into something new and original, not just copied or lightly edited. AI tools may not be used to create any part of the artwork. Learn more about our submission guidelines here.
Our team reviews your learner’s artwork to make sure it meets the showcase rules and submission guidelines. This could take up to a week. You’ll get an email once it’s in the Showcase. Keep an eye on this page for updates. Entries will appear here when ‘Showcase Favorite’ voting begins on or around March 13.
Submissions can’t be edited once they’ve been sent, so be sure to review your upload and entry form carefully before submitting. Each learner can have only one entry in the Showcase, and judges will review only one submission per participant.
Outschool’s teacher judges review entries for creativity and originality. Learners submit their work in one of two categories: Physical Art (e.g., drawing or painting) or Digital Art (e.g., animation or digital illustration). One finalist is chosen in each age group for each category. Showcase Favorite voting happens on the Showcase page and is open to those aged 18 or older. Public voting for Showcase Favorite is open only to individuals who are legal residents of jurisdictions where participation is lawful. Notwithstanding the foregoing, residents of Canada are not eligible to participate in the public voting portion of the Contest.
Finalists are featured in the live virtual event, and the Showcase Favorite winner is decided by public vote. Entries from Canada are eligible for judging and award selection in all categories except for public voting for the Showcase Favorite award.
The live virtual Showcase will be hosted by Outschool on April 25. It’s a free celebration of the finalists and their artwork, featuring judges and moments highlighting each artist’s creative process and inspiration. Families can join to view the artwork, hear directly from the artists, and celebrate their creativity together.
Two Grand Prize winners, one in each category, each receive a $500 USD Outschool Gift Card, a $500 USD Amazon Gift Card, a featured placement on a Times Square digital billboard, and a one-year Outschool Membership at the $70 USD monthly tier. Finalists receive a $250 USD Outschool Gift Card, and the Showcase Favorite winner receives a $250 USD Outschool Gift Card and a $250 USD Amazon Gift Card. Finalists are announced on April 20, and Grand Prize winners will be announced live at the Showcase event on April 25. Prizes are sent by email after the contest concludes. All prizes are stated in US dollars (USD) or the equivalent amount in local currency, depending on the jurisdiction of residence.