$6,000 ARTEFFECT Student Art Competition
- Organization: ARTEFFECT, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
- Type: Competition
- Location: Global
- Deadline: April 19, 2027
- Funding: No Funding
ARTEFFECT, the visual arts initiative of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, runs a free annual art competition for middle and high school students anywhere in the world. You choose an Unsung Hero, someone whose courage or service changed other people's lives without much recognition, create an original artwork about them and write a 500 to 1,000 word Impact Statement. The 2027 competition offers over $35,000 in cash prizes, led by a $6,000 Grand Prize. **What you get:** - Grand Prize of $6,000, open to grades 6 to 12 - High school (grades 9 to 12): Best in Show $3,000 and Second Place $2,000 - Middle school (grades 6 to 8): Best in Show $2,000 and Second Place $1,000 - Spotlight Prizes of $1,000 and Certificates of Excellence of $750, with multiple winners possible in each - All finalists and winners featured on the ARTEFFECT website with a certificate; selected winning projects exhibited at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas and the ARTEFFECT Gallery in Washington, DC - A digital Certificate of Participation for every entrant **What you'll do:** - Choose an Unsung Hero from the Unsung Heroes Directory of over 140 people - Create an original 2D, digital, mixed media or 3D artwork, with no size limit - Write a 500 to 1,000 word Impact Statement in English about your hero, your artistic process and how you will share the work - Submit images of the artwork and the Impact Statement on Submittable, with a parent or guardian signature **Key dates:** - Submissions open Thursday, October 1, 2026 - Submissions due Monday, April 19, 2027 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time - Finalists announced Wednesday, May 12, 2027 - Winners announced Wednesday, June 2, 2027 **More information:** - Rules, judging rubric, Impact Statement outline and 2027 FAQ on the ARTEFFECT competition pages - Judging: creative interpretation of the hero's story 40 percent, aesthetic value 40 percent, Impact Statement 20 percent - 2027 Spotlight Prize media categories: Sculpture/3D, and Large Format (24 x 36 inches or larger)
