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!




*or the equivalent amount in local currency depending on jurisdiction of residence
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These Outschool art teachers are experts in their fields and champions of creativity.




Entries are open to any learner in the U.S., UK, Canada, or Australia aged 6-18 with an active Outschool Membership or current class enrollment. Entrants in the U.S., U.K., and Australia are eligible for the Showcase Favorite Award. Deadline for entry is April 10, 2026, 11:59PM PT.

Share an image or video of a piece of their artwork that fits the theme “Something That Inspires Me.”

Complete the short submission form, including a brief description of what inspired the piece, in your kid’s own words.

Stay tuned as we announce the finalists on or around 4/20. Then get excited for the 4/25 showcase and winners reveal!



Hello! This is my entry for the art contest. It took me about… 4-6 hours? I made the setting during sundown, because i thought it looked better compared to the lighting during day/night. The girl in the middle is one of my characters that I’ve been drawing for 2 years. I wanted to highlight her while the other people blend into the background. The ideas just been sitting in my mind for a while but i never got the chance to draw it until now!

Hello! My name is Adalynn! This piece is inspired by my love for animals. While drawing it, I initially struggled because my cat's ears were too tall and skinny. I had mistakenly drawn over the ears with colored pencil, which made it impossible to erase. I overcame this problem by using a sand eraser, which was the perfect tool for the job. It was a risk to attempt a realistic drawing, but I'm very happy with the result. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope you enjoy my artwork!


Hello, my name is Sophie, and this is my art piece for the Outschool art contest! Something that inspires me, is other artists, like my Mom, artist that have entered into the contest (all of the art on here is AMAZING) and just artists everywhere! I think it’s really cool to see how people draw and how their art style is different then others.


I am inspired by cats because they're so cute, fluffy, playful and cuddly. I decided to see what would happen if I turned myself into half a cat and half normal. I have fostered kittens for my entire life and it has taught me to care for animals that need my help. I am now responsible and caring because of taking care of cats. I want to be more like cats and be loving to everyone. My picture shows me being more like cats.


I'm Ashley and I love toilet bound Hanako Kun when I first watched the anime. Later my mom got me manga and I got attached to the storyline. The artwork and the title is from the anime "The near and far shore" I got inspired by the name so I decided to make an art piece about it. The 2 characters "Hanako and Nene" are in my art piece. The near and far shore mean the world for living and the other shore for supernaturals/ghosts. I spent 3 hours and 34 minutes on this drawing.

My name is Naree and I am 9 years old. This art piece makes me feel proud of myself for making this. The thing that inspired this piece was my mind. The idea just simply popped into my mind; a mermaid drifting through the sea with fish, holding a bubble.

Hi! My name is FionaI love to paint and i love the pretty sparkly galaxies and i love the night skies sparkly stars so i thought why not paint a galaxy painting so i did and this painting i got tons of inspiration to make it and it is so sparkly! And i got so many compliments!

As a young child, I was terrified of tornadoes and extreme weather. As I've grown older, I've fallen in love with it instead! I now want to become a meteorologist and storm chaser. I hope to help save lives through accurate weather prediction. And I hope to inspire young people like myself who are terrified of strong storms they can't control. Tornadoes, like the El Reno tornado of May 31, 2013, inspire me to overcome my greatest fears!


My name is Eli and I am 13 years old. Since I was 4, I have always loved making art, but over the past year I have started to draw much more seriously. I was inspired to make this piece because I love the art of ONE PIECE. I feel very proud of this drawing because I think it is one of the best pieces of art I have made so far.

Hi, my name is Helen. I love drawing and painting because they make me feel happy. My artwork, “A Beautiful Morning at My School,” is inspired by a Minecraft theme. It shows the happy memories I have at school. It is a bright spring morning with the sun shining in a clear blue sky. School buses and cars are busy as they drop off children. The children are wearing their uniforms and look excited because they love coming to school to learn, play, and be with their friends.

Hello, I'm Grace! This piece is inspired by (and is of) Splatoon, a game by Nintendo. The character pictured has fought their way up through an underground base, seeing the outside world for the first time after losing their memory from being in said base. It is inspiring to me since after all their hard work, they got the thing they wanted most: reaching the surface.

I love bright colors and cool textures. I am always looking for fun ways to make my art pop! I was inspired by Pop Art and how one thing can look so different in a bunch of colors. I used bubble wrap as a stamp for the background. It looks like giant sprinkles. It was so satisfying to dip the bubbles in paint and press them down! This art work makes me feel happy and energized. All the neon colors remind me of a sunny summer day when I’m about to eat my favorite ice cream!
I enjoy Lego's, reading, building science kits, gaming, nature, and spending time with my family and friends. I also like baseball, swimming, diving, and taekwondo. My art piece was inspired by my uncle. It is colorful with a splash of teeth added in to make the piece Awsome with a dinosaur twist.


I love to do art because it allows me to use my hands and helps me to focus. Art helps me to feel better by calming my mind. When I do art, I can be creative in making many characters. I enjoy making faces with lots of details. My art is called Dotty Frost. She is named Dotty Frost because she has on Poki dotted and frosted clothing. I love her shiny hair with one braid on each side. At the end of each braid, she has a claw to hold hearts, and other things. Dotty Frost is a kind character.

My name is Thaddeus, and I love insects! They're different than any other creature, and even though they're small, I figured out that they have certain abilities that mammals don't. I think it would be cool to be an insect for a day. If I were a dragonfly, I would fly around and kill all of the annoying mosquitoes.

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.

Hi I'm Olivia! I'm 10 years old and I love art and have been in Outschool since first grade. I'm the type of person who would either read (Harry Potter or Wings of Fire), draw my pokemon ocs, write Harry Potter fan fiction, or listen to kpop all day. I love to draw digitally and physically. This piece I drew, Ecosystem of Our community, shows our community, the world, and how it works together to form the perfect ecosystem, where plants grow, animals live, and we work together. ( O _ O )

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.

So about myself, I always love musical pieces, playing instruments, and art. However, considering the fact that I don't even play the Guitar, I just thought that the instrument is a vibrant way of expressing my thought, and when I did this piece of art, I made sure to include a bit of colorful explosion. It gives me great joy when I finished my art .

I named this Spark of Imagination. I based this drawing on the Five Nights at Freddys (FNaF) character Toy Bonnie. What inspires me about FNaF is the creator took one small idea and created something huge. That sparked my imagination. I began to create and draw my own characters. When I think my creations look bad, I remeamber that he kept going so I should too.

I have been drawing since I was 4. Now I am passionate about animals and conservation. This year I started painting, so that my sketches pop with color and display the diverse beauty of the animals and their environments. A documentary of a giant squid inspired me to draw this. I feel overjoyed to be able to capture the beauty of this animal rarely seen while it’s alive. Fun fact: I like painting to the beat of music. I like to let my brush strokes dance with the beat. It makes me smile.

Hello, my name is Alex Lynn and I drew Modern Italian. I wanted to challenge myself with shading because I have been deliberately ignoring it for a long time. I knew I was taking a risk with shading but I wanted to improve. I used 2B, 4B, and 6B pencil grades to achieve the dark contrasts that make light shades pop out. I faced many problems such as having trouble with proportions for the pedestal. I hope you consider my art in the final vote and that you were inspired by my image.

My name is Joslyn I've always loved art and trying different art forms or drawing styles, I also really love indie horror games like Mucorales or Pumpkin panic. I wanted to give my piece a more eerie or melancholic vibe which is why I used darker colors for it. I was inspired by how unicorns were originally depicted in stuff like The last unicorn and how the unicorns look slimmer, and just look more majestic when their less bulky and horse-like. I'm very proud of my piece and i hope you like it.


My name is Vika, and when I grow up, I want to be an artist. I believe art is a great hobby and profession, and it can make people very happy. I drew this penguin as a mascot that can inspire people to do art and be creative and imaginative. Her name is Aurora Boreartist. Art makes her life brighter, and it maker her brighter too, see, she is not just plain black like other penguins. And she wants to show that art make make everyone else's life brighter too.
A pickup truck made from LEGO is towing a catamaran, showing my love for fast vehicles on land and water. The small LEGO kid in the black jiu-jitsu uniform is me right now, still learning and working hard. The taller LEGO figure next to him is future me, who has reached all my goals and dreams. It’s like a picture of where I am and where I’m going, all built into one scene.

I was inspired by survival in the wild. In my painting, a girl and her cat are camping in the wilderness. There are many different trees and plants around them, and many shades of green that make the forest look full of life. In the middle of the picture, there is a warm campfire lighting up the girl. She is fishing by the river with her cat beside her. You can see their reflections in the water. Far away in the wilderness, there is a rainbow that you can faintly see in the sky.

This piece is Called saving the Sun. It’s about those People or moments that Make you feel like golden sunshine is pouring onto your skin, These moments Are things I cling too, especially when I’m Having hard times. This piece Inspires me to find something that makes me feel that, Something that makes it feel bright and sunny even when it’s not.☀️

My name is Juniper and I am 10 years old. My artwork titled Unicorns in New York symbolizes possibility. Even in tough times, imagination can carry us somewhere new. That is why possibility inspires me the most, it can become anything and I want that for everyone!

My name is Michele and I have always loved Tim Burton films, including the one and only "Alice in Wonderland" remake. My inspiration was the world of Tim Burton. I have always been a fan starting with The Nightmare Before Christmas when I was little. I wanted to bring a favorite character of mine to life. This artwork makes me feel proud and happy because I put my best effort into it. The Mad Hatter is my favorite character because he is funny and I love his colorful design.

Hello. my name is Gracie Austin and I am 15 years old. My piece pictures a dark abyss that would seem to go on forever, but, in that darkness there is a beautiful sunset, something you would only be able to see it if you took the chance to look over the edge of that abyss. In my picture I used the dove to symbolize the hope/peace within the abyss as its wings reflect the sunset. I was inspired to do this piece because even in dark times there is always hope, if you look close enough. -Thank you.


Totally Awesome Outdoor Show, is a YouTube channel about bushcraft, survival and living in the woods, and it really inspires me! My name is Matthew and in this drawing I wanted to show camping on the edge of the woodland. I really feel the warmth of the fire and I'm so happy about it.


My artwork is called “Circle of Leaves.” I painted it on a real plate and divided the circle into eight sections. Three sections represent the seasons that have leaves: spring, summer, and fall. The other five sections show leaves in different colors such as purple, orange, yellow, red, and green. I used contrasting colors in the background to make the leaves stand out. Leaves are beautiful and colorful, and they make me feel calm and happy.

My main inspirations for art are imagination and fantasy. I love making mystical creatures and they incline me to do what I love: drawing. While I love drawing fantasy animals, I also enjoy drawing still lives and realistic portraits. I added hints of both reality and fantasy through everyday items and magical items, like the socks or the floating musical notes.

My name is Mercy and I'm 15 years old. Music has always greatly inspired me and I wanted to make a piece that represents that. I have a dream to visit California someday and make my own music, a dream that was in part inspired by one of my favorite bands, Incubus.

I am the one, the only; ARAN!!! (Ahem, sorry) As seasons have passed, I've become more entranced every year by the beauty of fall all around the world. I found that trees in their autumnal state are so naturally well captured in art, so that is what I did. To be specific, this is a portrayal of a path through the Green Mountains National Park. I've destroyed 3 brushes, missed some homework, and have a sore back, so as long as your life may go on happily ever after, I say this: VOTE FOR ME!!!!!!!

My inspiration is Nike, my leopard gecko. I am inspired by her beauty, her graceful movement, and her soft, chubby tail. I care for her and all her needs, but she doesn't always notice me. I don't mind that because I simply love watching her hunt, hide, sleep, and crawl in her habitat. I am drawn to her patterns and textures, and I was trying to not only replicate her appearance but capture her true beauty.


I’ve always loved creating art. “Wolfychu Fanart” is a piece inspired by a story time animator on YouTube named Wolfychu, I’ve enjoyed her content for years and wanted to make something to express how much I appreciate her work. “Aurelia’s Rage” is a piece inspired by my story, which I’ve been writing for the past 6 years. It was also a way to experiment with monochrome colors, and see what my art would look like if i didn’t stress over it looking perfect, and just drew what I wanted.✨

Hello, my name is Phoenix. I do not do art that often, but I do enjoy it. I did this in my preferred art style (the only one I do) which is a standard pencil and a fine point pen (also one of those super satisfying clicky eraser things). The thing that inspired me to draw this (besides the prize) was I was just thinking of what to draw, and I just started drawing, and bing-bada-boom, I had a picture.

My piece describes the changes in my life. The time on the clock, 8:20 is around the time that I was born, an important key detail in my life. Some other changes in my life were moving houses, changing schools, and learning to love swim. The wide variety of colors I used in my artwork, they are all different, even in the slightest bit. This represents how everyone is different, and you can be your own self. No one don't need to feel ashamed, because everyone is unique in their own way.

Hi! My name is Mackenzie and I just turned 10 years old. I am inspired by my older sisters and of how amazing artist they are. I hope to keep on growing with my artwork and keep on learning. I am very proud of my face. It was really really fun to draw and I am exited to see draw and maybe paint more things like it. I love doing realistic art and compering it to my other pictures and seeing how it changed. Thank you so much for reading this! Bye!

I love to role play. So I'm very excited to get to enter in a drawing of one of my favorite characters. Gene Doe is one of my favorite original characters. He is 5'9, has dyed purple hair (though it is now literally unable to change due to a magical incident), and always has his guard up. This drawing portrays him in a moment of awareness and vulnerability. It's nice to see him get to be embarrassed.

For my art piece I tried to make a character as creative as possible. I added features like a cool ring eye and I went for a manga style look. I made this piece look unbalanced and gave it quirky details that I liked. Voin is supposed to be a malfunction or a weird human but he ended up being a really awesome soccer player that's really nice (and funny) :)


My name is Charlotte and I love drawing animals. This drawing makes me feel good and I am proud of it. What inspires me is mostly nature and animals like big trees, cute foxes, and sometimes my pets. Another thing that inspires me is books! I LOVE reading and they really help give me ideas for drawings. One more thing that inspires me is other drawings and paintings.

This artwork of mine is based on what inspires me - music, my family (from Norway), Tae Kwon Do, and hearts for being kind. In this piece you can also see a bear eating a cake. That cake is actually called ‘Verdens Beste Kake’ meaning ‘Worlds Best Cake’ in Norwegian! It’s a cake that me and my grandma make together for our families birthdays. It’s really special to me, and she inspires me so much. The background is based off of me and things I like/inspire me, which means a lot to me.

I love art, and when people hear that they ask me what kind of art I like. The thing is that I like all kinds of art painting, building, sketching I found that art is something that I can use to express myself. I made this peace because of a book that I like to read that's called Warriors, and it's about cats. About a year ago they made a graphic novel, and anytime something exiting was about to happen a bird would show up. So what if it was like that in real life, could you imagen?

I found two trees at a place, one was in full bloom and it looked really pretty while, the other was completely dead looking. I was then inspired to draw two trees with one that is full of life, and the other dark. I thought the light bulbs in the back looked pretty, because the place I was at, had a string of light bulbs behind the trees.
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.