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!



There wasn’t really a clear inspiration for this piece, but I’ll try to give a bit of a walk-through. The character is inspired by WOF -Wings Of Fire, which is a dragon book series and my artist persona. I have always had a love for willow and wisteria trees, and love artworks that showcase things like rivers, oceans and waterfalls. The title is partly inspired by the book The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe. This piece makes me feel at peace with the whole… flowy and mystical feel! :3

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 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 came from wanting to create something beautiful and detailed using nature as inspiration. I built up the tree, lantern, and wisteria with clay before painting over it on the Canvas for a 3D effect. It took a lot of time and effort especially when working with details and lighting. This piece pushed me to stay focused and not rush. It reminds me that putting time and effort can turn simple ideas into something unique so I would love to be a finalist or be a fan favourite :)

I am an entrepreneur who enjoys developing marketing materials for businesses. I like to practice making logos, brochures, flyers, and business cards. This is my favorite logo I have created because it is simple but unique. It's an art piece that catches people's attention and makes them want to learn more about the business.


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!

I’m Devon and I’m 9 years old. This drawing is about how when we protect even the smallest life, we protect the world. This is a drawing of “Kim the Bee from the top limb of the tree” which is a character from a story my dad made up for my brother and I at bed time. Thank you for reading

I LOVE doing art! I made a picture to inspire others for a more peaceful world. I love animals and nature, so that is what inspired me. This picture makes me feel proud and like I can make the world a better place! I hope you get inspired too! Thank You for taking your time to look at my art and read about it!


I'm from Canada where there is lots of snow right now. I enjoy going to the zoo and watching the snow leopards. When I look at the snow leopard in my picture, I think about how much I love to go outside and play in the snow. I like to build snow forts, have snow ball fights and go for snowmobile rides. I also like to play with my 2 out door cats who remind me of the snow leopard.

My name is Hayley, I am twelve years old and I love my mom. Me and my mom love to travel, and draw, and bake I made this drawing for her because it reminds me of watching the sunrise every morning, and all of our plane trips everywhere I hope (wink wink) you like my art! Thank you!

This artwork shows how freedom in America has grown and changed over time. The Statue of Liberty stands in the center as a symbol of hope, while the colorful, graffiti-style background represents the energy and creativity of the people. This piece inspires me because it reminds me that even as things change, the idea of being free continues to bring people together and move forward.

I really enjoy art and think it is very fun and intresting. I enjoyed painting this piece because it reflects a city at dusk. It makes me want to go outside and look at nature. It also gives me the feeling of riding in a car and looking out the window, seeing in the city.

My name is Madissan, and I enjoy expressing myself through art. I created this drawing as a way to practice and improve my shading skills, which is something I’ve been really interested in learning. I wanted to see how I could use light and dark values to make my artwork look more realistic and detailed. This piece was inspired by my desire to challenge myself and grow as an artist. While working on it, I focused on blending and adding depth to bring the drawing to life. Art makes me feel good.


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.

I really enjoy every aspect of Japanese art and design, from anime to games. It is a dream of mine to become a professional trading card artist when I grow up. This piece reflects that. It is an illustration of one of my original characters, Noodle Dragon, above miso lake, where I imagine he would live.

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.

I’ve been drawing ever since I was little. I did this because I always think everyone needs freedom in life, having dreams and not giving up, following them. I sometimes give my characters this feeling of freedom because the world can be hard, but still beautiful. Drawing for me is a way to express freedom and beauty.

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.

I'm Helen Horne. I drew this because she is one of my favorite characters in a game called Cookie Run Kingdom. She was once a virtue called Sugar of Happiness but she turned evil along with her other beast friends and refuses to let anyone leave her Heart of Paradise. Drawing this made me feel artistic!

"Raining Inspiration" came from things in my life that inspire me in my day to day activities. The things I drew represent what I love - my family, friends, nature, books about dragons, my faith and so many other things. I feel proud to share my drawings and feel like I can soar when I have these items represented in my art.

Something about me is that I like to play sports and I like math challenges. I drew this because it was sort of like the movie Inside Out with all the emotions people feel everyday. It makes me feel good because I worked hard on it and it is like a rainbow of emotions.

★ This awesome sauce artwork I made is inspired by peaceful and happy moments in nature. I love how animals can live together in a calm, playful way, like sharing a quiet stream or relaxing in the sun. Nature inspires me because it feels gentle, colorful and full of small, joyful moments. It makes me feel safe and happy. :D No matter what I draw, it almost always connects back to nature through the colors, patterns and peaceful feelings I see :] ★

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.

As a person who's always adored cats, the Bengal tiger is a feline I have always admired for it's majestic behavior and resplendent striped coat. My love for animals has awakened a passion inside that has driven me to create realistic animal portraits such as these. I hope this simple drawing can emphasize the beauty of the Bengal tiger.


I am a natural Artist. Art flows through my hands. My art is gold. I have a natural talent in painting since a young child. I also create digital art drawing from cartoons I enjoy, i.e. Sprinkles, Rainbow Friends, Smiling Critters, Minecraft and more. My favorite art form is Angelic Art. I paint in all mediums: acrylic, metallic acrylic, oil, fluid art, Impasto (Italian Art), Suminagashi (Japanese Art), tempera, sensorial art, watercolor, glow in the dark artwork, airbrush painting and beyond!


My name is Lauren. I love making art. I am a caring person and love to make new friends. My piece is inspired by my love of reptiles and dragons. It makes me feel proud of my artwork. Shout out to my art teacher Abeera for helping me make beautiful masterpieces.

I am Layla, and I love a lot of mascot horror (a media that makes a setting with a mascot scary!) I made this art piece with a character from Indigo Park, which is a game I love a lot! I think Rambley the Racoon, who is the mascot and digital guide character! I decided to draw him to show my love for the game!

I enjoy painting because it allows my creativity and imagination to come alive on canvas. This drawing captures a white-tailed deer who is wandering in woods without any fear and hesitation. I get inspiration from the natural beauty surrounding us including plants, animals and surreal nature. This reminds us that boundaries and rules are for humans, we should be free to wander, explore and choose our path to success.

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 )

This is a drawing of a dragon made of shimmering crystal mosaic pieces, the background is filled with crystal roses and raindrops. Rainbows often symbolize hope and new beginnings, while roses are used to symbolize love, all of which are things that inspire me. This piece took 5 hours and 57 minutes, and was created in Procreate.

Hi my name is Gwen, I really love to draw. I enjoy video games and hanging out with my friends. I was inspired by a video on YouTube that presented a beautiful painting of a forest with butterflies. It looked magical and gave me butterflies. The picture I created made me think, I did put a lot of what I was feeling into it. I don't know if you can see my sadness, but I felt better afterwards.
I have been an ongoing Outschool student for 5 years and been improving my animations ever since. What inspired me to make this animation was my love for music, as that is what got me into animation in the first place. I am really proud of how this animation turned out, since it took a whole month to complete all on my own.

I'm Kiran and I love road and city design. I can spend hours designing elaborate cities in chalk that span the sidewalks of my cul-de-sac. I get so excited looking at my piece because it makes me feel like I'm there. I try to add as many details as I can to make it realistic.

I am Amina, and I love sketching on my pad, and coloring on procreate. My inspiration for the piece was actually a homework assignment! I was asked to do a drawing of my own deity, god or goddess to present, and here it is! This girl you see here is Equality, the deity of balance. She is the one who keeps things equal between humans, plants and animals. This piece makes me feel proud.

My name is Emilio and I love drawing because you can tell a story in your own way. I learned about the meteor shower which killed dinosaurs and that inspired me to draw Robo Dino. In this story the meteor shower causes fire and Robo Dino was the only dinosaur to survive. He lost parts of his body but found a robot body that he used to save himself. Now he is happy to start a new life in the city. This drawing makes me feel happy that the dinosaur survived and escaped the fire.

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) :)

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.

Hello my name is Sophie, and I created this art because I wanted to make something calming and not to crazy. I really enjoyed making this piece, it made me feel passionate and calm. In this piece, this bear came to the park to have a fun day on her bike. She is hoping you like this art. I hope you enjoyed looking at my piece!


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.

Hello!! My name is Elyssa, and I’ve been drawing before I can remember, but started getting more into art at about 9 years old. I love both led sketching and drawing with colored pencils, so I figured I’d combine the two! This drawing is a recreation of a drawing that I made a few years back. I love animals, and I really hope this drawing inspires people to take care of and protect the environment, as well as the creatures being affected by litter and deforestation every day. Thank you! :D
My piece is a symbol of creativity and perfection in my mind. Art Makes Life and Life Makes Art, that's what this is all about. My inspiration for this art is my life and that is why it's called Life Makes Art! From, AP

Hi, I'm Jackson and I love everything jets. The F-35A inspired me to draw this because it is my favorite jet and I think it's absolutely beautiful. When I saw the F-35A at an airshow. I was so excited that I almost started crying. I love the F-35A so much because it's just beautiful from all angles no matter what.

My name is Aarya, and I love drawing animals. I was inspired to create this piece because I enjoy studying how animals look and trying to capture their expressions and personalities. I especially liked working on the eyes and fur to make the drawing come alive. This artwork makes me feel proud and excited, and it inspires me to keep practicing and getting better at art.

My name is Freya and I created the Snow Fox. I used acrylics on canvas. I wanted to capture my love for animals and winter. I used a cool tone color pallette. The tail was tricky, I learned a lot about how to get the shape just right. I also like drawing flowers and dogs. I enjoy swimming, gymnastics, Scratch and love art.

Hi! I am James, and I like to express myself through art. I drew this specific piece a few years back for a project at my school. It is supposed to be an artistic self-representation, filled with patterns and objects that I like or that are important to me. Once the outline was completed, I separated the head into sections (some are special shapes). Then I slowly and carefully filled the entire large page with my artwork, using a pen to draw over it all again a second time! I'm proud of my work.

I made this picture because I love drawing happy places with bright colors. My family calls me their rainbow sunshine baby, and I like making cheerful worlds with my imagination. I drew stars, houses, trees, and a snowman to show that winter can be warm and joyful. Art makes me feel free. I like being creative, and this picture makes me feel peaceful and happy inside.

Hi! My name is Rebekah, and this is my art piece entitled "hope." In this drawing, I depict myself as a skeleton, which represents vulnerability and the beauty of originality. The bones are chipped and broken from trauma, betrayal, and hurt. However, despite all the pain from life circumstances and mentality, there is new growth. Flowers bloom from the vines crawling up the body, showing that hope can still be found in the darkest places of life, and there is always something more to live for.

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.


My art was inspired by the wide open prairies of America. On my cross country road trip to South Dakota I found my love for Prairie sunsets. When I think of the Prairie, it makes me feel free like every hill and sunset holds a new beginning or fresh start. I chose to use Linda Stephen’s style of art to make my prairie sunset because I wanted to experiment with collages.

I love the ocean which is what inspires most of my art. Also the same with my family which is why I add them together. I feel like nature, family, music, & friends are what makes me happy - my art is my happy life. I named my piece "Family Evolution" because humans evolved from water! In the art there is a mountain; I was named after a mountain; McKinley. Finally, I included my Ipad because that is how I connect with my world and my art and it has my favorite vinyl album - it mean a lot to me!

My rendition of Starry Night Sky makes me feel nostalgic. When I first saw it as a little kid I was curious about how the swirls were painted. I always wanted to try it out for myself. I felt if I tried I would be able to paint it in a way that tells a story about me, who I am.
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.