FY24 Washington Youth Arts Leadership Program (WAYAL) Nomination Process

ArtsWA is seeking youth artists ages 16-19 to join our 2023-2024 WAYAL cohort. 

What is WAYAL?

The Washington Youth Arts Leadership (WAYAL) Program is a yearly cohort of youth and young adults (ages 16-19) from across Washington State. WAYAL leaders work with the Arts in Education (AIE) team at ArtsWA to explore and amplify the role of arts engagement their communities. Young artists build statewide community, gain leadership and communication skills, and explore arts careers with mentors in the field.

Youth leaders receive a stipend for their time and input.

What will selected WAYAL cohort members do?

• Explore career pathways in the arts and cultural sector.
• Refine multimedia communication skills.
• Engage with communities as an artist and critical thinker.
• Gain understanding of the creative economy, arts funding, and related policy.
• Build statewide youth-led community in the arts.

Selected WAYAL members must commit to:

• Attend monthly online WAYAL seminars (1.5 hours a seminar, time TBD).
• Consistent and proactive communication with WAYAL staff.
• Contribute to collaborative WAYAL projects throughout the year (4-5 hours).
• Attend 2-3 arts leadership events throughout the year (virtual or in -person/local).

Who Can Apply?

WAYAL applications are submitted as nominations. Eligible youth can nominate themselves and mentors can nominate youth in their communities. 

• Eligibility: Applicants/nominated youth must be:
• Between the age of 16-19 (at time of application).
• A Washington State resident.
• Engaged in the arts (an artist!) beyond school-related assignments.
• Interested in building leadership skills and working with youth across the state.
• Able to attend (9) monthly seminars and a minimum of (3) events (local or online) throughout the year.

Important Dates:

• Application Opens: May 1, 2023
• Application Deadline: July 16, 2023, at 5:00 pm
• Notification to WAYAL cohort members: August 16, 2023
• Cohort virtual retreat: September date TBD (2 hours)
• WAYAL Program: September 2023 – June 2024

How Does ArtsWA Select WAYAL Members?

Evaluation and Scoring Panel

A panel of artists and educators evaluate eligible applications to the WA Youth Arts Leadership (WAYAL) Program. Panelists use scoring criteria to give a numerical score to each application. An application’s final score is the combined average of all panelists’ scores. Top scoring applications from each ArtsWA-defined region are selected for the WAYAL program.

Panelists will assign each application a score between 1 -30 using the evaluation and point system below. 30 points is the highest possible score for this application.

1. Aspiring Artist (15 points possible)

• Consistent engagement with art making/creative practices. (5 points possible)
• Awareness of artist mentors past or present. (5 points possible)
• Interest in exploring creative careers. (5points possible)

2. Community Engagement (15 points possible)

• Experience engaging in collaborative practices. (5 points possible)
• Interest in leadership. (5 points possible)
• Interest in exploring equity efforts in the arts and education field. (5 points possible)

How to Apply 

Self-Nominate/Apply: Youth ages 16-19 (at time of application) can nominate themselves for this program.

Nominate someone other than yourself:  Mentors, teachers, community members can nominate a youth artist from their communities.

Submitting a nomination/application:

• Saving: Save your WA Youth Arts  Leadership (WAYAL) nomination form as you work on it by clicking the "Save Draft" button located at the end of this webpage. You can log out and log back in, take a break, or work on your application over several days without losing your information.
• Required Questions: Questions marked with a red asterisk '*'  must be completed before you submit your nomination. You will not be able to submit your application if any required questions have been left unanswered.
• Submitting: Once you have completed your nomination, click the "Submit" button at the end of this webpage. You will receive an automated email confirming that your  Application has been successfully submitted.
• Print or download a copy of your nomination form by navigating to your "Personal Submissions" account list. Click on your Application submission. This will open up the submission's details page, where you can click the Download button in the upper right of the viewing box.

Questions? 

Contact Us! 

Austin Sargent, WAYAL Program Coordinator, at 360-485-1277 or austin.sargent@arts.wa.go