Free to enter · ages 6-17 · all of Idaho
The Loom Youth Prize
This year’s theme: “Two Worlds, One Thread”
Over $2,000 in cash and art supplies. Any medium. No digital tools needed. No experience assumed.
The brief
Two worlds, one thread
Make something that exists both in the world you live in and a world you imagine. That’s the whole brief, how the two connect is up to the artist.
Entry is by photograph, so nothing needs to leave home to enter. If the work is shortlisted, the original gets its moment: families bring it to Boise Centre on Friday, November 13, 4:00-6:00 PM, and it hangs beside the professional collection on the night of November 14.
The prizes
Six children take money home
Children compete in their own age bracket: 6-9, 10-13 and 14-17, and Best in Show is chosen from the three bracket winners.
| Award | Cash | Art supplies | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best in Show | $400 | $200 kit | One, chosen from the three bracket winners |
| Bracket Winner | $150 each | $125 kit | Three, one from each bracket |
| Bracket Runner-Up | $100 each | $75 kit | Three, one from each bracket |
| Shortlisted | None | $13 pack | Around thirty, exhibited on the night |
| Total | $1,000 | ≈ $1,200 | Cash paid to the guardian on behalf of the young artist |
Winners also receive the exhibition print of their work and gala admission for the winners and a guardian, Best in Show at VIP, the rest at Premium. Every winning work is also registered digitally in the guardian’s name and spends twelve months in the online gallery.
Judging
Fair by design
- 01The panel: a museum curator, an educator, and the two professional artists exhibiting on the night.
- 02Entries are anonymised: judges see the age bracket, the title and the work. Never a name, school or city.
- 03Criteria: response to the theme · originality of idea · care in making · how far the work reaches for its maker’s age. Ambition counts as much as polish.
- 04Panel decisions are final, there is no appeals process.
The dates
Two dates matter: Sept 12 and Oct 26
- September 12Entries open, right here
- October 26, 11:59 PM MTEntries close
- October 27-28Judging, anonymised photographs, in age brackets
- October 29Shortlist announced, guardians emailed first
- November 13, 4:00-6:00 PMShortlisted originals dropped off at Boise Centre
- November 14, 2:00 PMExhibition opens, free to all, Boise Centre
- November 14, 4:00 PMWinners announced on stage, families present
The auction, plainly
100% goes to the young artist
Award-winning works can be auctioned at the evening gala, only if the guardian opts in at entry, and it has no bearing on judging either way. One hundred per cent of the hammer price goes to the young artist’s family, or to their school’s art program if the family prefers. OpulX Media takes no commission, no fee and no share. The original is auctioned after hanging in the exhibition, and a reserve is agreed with the guardian beforehand; a work whose guardian does not opt in simply goes home with the family after the show.
For parents & teachers
Asked and answered
Is it really free?
Completely. No entry fee, ever, and no purchase of anything at any point. The exhibition afternoon is free too, no ticket required.
Can I help my child?
Adult help with photographing and submitting is expected and welcome. The artwork itself must be the child’s own.
What can they make?
Any medium, drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, textile, photography, digital. No medium is advantaged in judging, and no digital tools are needed.
What happens to the artwork?
You enter with a photograph, so nothing leaves home unless the work is shortlisted. Shortlisted originals are brought to Boise Centre on November 13, 4:00-6:00 PM, exhibited beside the professional collection on November 14, and go home with the family after the show. The one exception: an award-winning work whose guardian opted in to the auction is sold on the night, with 100% of the sale going to the young artist. Photographs of non-winning entries are deleted within 90 days of the event unless you opt in to the online gallery.
What if we can’t attend?
Entries are judged from photographs, so attendance is never required to win. If a work is shortlisted, someone does need to bring the original to Boise Centre on November 13, 4:00-6:00 PM; if the drop-off is impossible for your family, email team@opulx.io and we will work something out. We’d love the family there for the awards at 4:00 PM on November 14, it’s free, but prizes reach every winner either way.
How is it judged?
A panel, a museum curator, an educator, and the professional artists exhibiting on the night, judges anonymised photographs in three age brackets: 6-9, 10-13 and 14-17. Judges see the age bracket but never a name, school or city. Panel decisions are final.
What about my child’s data?
We collect the minimum, we never collect surnames, published credit is first name and age bracket only, and no entrant data is ever shared with sponsors. A parent or guardian can request deletion at any time: team@opulx.io.
Teachers: the one-page flyer is made for the classroom pinboard, and the color poster is made for sharing. Questions from schools and museums: team@opulx.io.
Free to enter. Any medium.
Entries September 12 to October 26 · winners on stage November 14