The Somerset County Teen Arts Festival will take place on
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, from 8:30 A.M. - 2:30 P.M. at Raritan Valley Community College

Attention School Coordinators! Are you preparing your students for the 2026 Teen Arts Festival? Review each month's Teen Arts newsletter for reminders about upcoming deadlines and tips for planning ahead!

January 2026 - CLICK HERE

February 2026 - Coming Soon!

March 2026 - Coming Soon!

April 2026 - Coming Soon!

May 2026 - Coming Soon! 

2026 Teen Arts Calendar & Important Deadlines

Review this calendar of important dates and deadlines! We recommend adding these dates to your personal and professional calendars!

2026 Teen Arts School Participation Form (Fillable PDF) 

DUE DECEMBER 19, 2025: Please indicate (to your best estimate) which creative disciplines your school intends to participate in! Schools are encouraged to participate in all disciplines. Please collaborate with teachers from ALL creative disciplines when completing this form! This form does not lock in your answers, but let us know if your school's plans change. 

Did your school miss the deadline for the School Participation Form?
Don't worry - you can still sign up to participate in the 2026 Festival!
Submit your form to:  CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov

2026 Teen Arts School Invoice Form (Fillable PDF)

DUE FEBRUARY 20, 2026:  Each participating school must fill out a School Invoice Form, even if multiple schools are from the same district. If your school has any questions regarding this invoice or if you need an Individual Student Invoice, please contact Cultural & Heritage Staff at CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov or (908) 231-7022. 

Guidelines & Submission Forms

HOW TO COMPLETE SUBMISSION FORMS

All submission forms are digital, fillable PDFs. 
PLEASE TYPE ALL ANSWERS. DO NOT HANDWRITE. 

• Complete one multi-page form for EACH CATEGORY in which your students are participating. For example, if your school is participating in Visual Arts and Dance, you would only fill out the Visual Arts Submission Form and Dance Submission Form.
• Detailed guidelines and instructions are included on the first pages of each form. Guidelines and instructions are specific to each category. Please read these thoroughly! 
• Email completed forms to CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov on or before April 1, 2026. You may also share completed forms through Google Drive. Please allow access to anyone with the link and share via email.
• We cannot accept forms directly from students. Forms MUST be sent by School Coordinators. If multiple teachers are filling out forms, we highly suggest that School Coordinators collect all forms and send them to Cultural & Heritage Staff in one email. 
• We will try to accommodate all submissions. However, due to very tight time constraints, any submissions received after the April 1st deadline cannot be guaranteed a performance time, exhibition time, or critique.
• NOTE: Students participating independently (even if over the age of 18) must have a parent, guardian or teacher contact Cultural & Heritage Staff at (908) 231-7022 or CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov prior to completing submission forms.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FORMS BELOW -
DUE APRIL 1, 2026

2026 Creative Writing Guidelines / Submission Form 
All Creative Writing students must also submit a Student Release Form.

2026 Dance Guidelines / Submission Form

2026 Film Guidelines / Submission Form
All Film students must also submit a Student Release Form. 

2026 Instrumental Music Guidelines / Submission Form

2026 Theater (Musical & Non-Musical) Guidelines / Submission Form

2026 Vocal Music Guidelines / Submission Form

2026 Visual Art Guidelines / Submission Form
All Visual Art students must also submit a Student Release Form.
To be displayed in the RVCC Art Gallery during the Festival, Artwork Labels must be attached to all 2D and 3D pieces.  

Why do some students have to complete a Release Form?

Student submissions for the Creative Writing, Visual Arts, and Film categories will be publicly accessible. Therefore, a student release form for each student participating in these three disciplines is required.

Is a student participating in multiple of these categories? Only one release form is needed! There is a section on each release form to indicate if a student is participating in Creative Writing, Visual Arts, and/or Film.

NOTE: If a film features a group of students, ALL group members must submit a separate, completed release in order to be showcased.

2026 TEEN ARTS COVER ART CONTEST! 

ATTENTION TEACHERS! Do your students want to have their artwork featured on the cover of the 2026 Teen Arts Creative Writing Anthology? They may even be featured in the Teen Arts Program itself!

The Cultural & Heritage Commission is looking for original student artwork portraying Creative Writing, the visual and performing arts, or the Teen Arts Festival as a whole!

CLICK HERE to download the Teen Arts Cover Art Contest flyer and share this with your students! 

Original artwork submissions are due by April 1!

Which school will have the winning design? 

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Questions? Concerns? Contact Us!

Katie Himics, Program Coordinator,
Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission
CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov
(908) 231-7022