Is your school interested in participating in the Somerset County Teen Arts Festival? The School Participation Form is your first step to ensure your students participate in the Somerset County Teen Arts Festival! The form should be filled out and submitted by your school’s designated Teen Arts School Coordinator.

Please collaborate with teachers from ALL creative disciplines before submitting and indicate, to the best of your ability, what categories your school will participate in. If there are any updates to your plans, please let us know! We use this participation form to plan workshops and adjudicators for your students.

Homeschool students ages 13-19 in Somerset County are also welcome to attend! Contact us at CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov

Teen Arts School Coordinators are responsible for compiling student information and submitting student submission forms. Coordinators are an integral part of the Teen Arts Festival process and without your help we wouldn't be able to provide students with this excellent opportunity to celebrate the arts, express themselves creatively, and receive valuable feedback from professional artists!

Many middle and high schools throughout Somerset County attend the Teen Arts Festival. If you are not sure if your school has a Teen Arts Coordinator or if you are interested in becoming your school’s Teen Arts Coordinator, reach out to CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov for more information. 

CLICK HERE for a calendar of important dates for School Coordinators! 

An annual school participation fee helps cover the cost of hiring professional artists to lead workshops and critique student performances, as well as purchase art supplies for student workshops and masterclasses. The annual school participation fee is $375 for up to 100 students to attend the Festival. Schools will be charged $10 per student over the 100 student limit (with up to 50 additional students allowed), to help defray the cost of hiring additional artists and purchasing supplies.

CLICK HERE for the 2026 School Invoice Form

Checks or Purchase Orders should be made payable to Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission and mailed to:

Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission
P.O. Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876-1262

We understand that your school's payment process may be unique. Please let Commission Staff know if payments will be delayed. We are happy to work with you!

Students have the unique opportunity to perform and present their creative work to professional artists in their respective fields. Adjudicators are carefully reviewed and selected. These artists often have extensive experience working with youth and are eager to inspire the next generation of young artists.

Dance, Theatre, Vocal and Instrumental Music
On the festival day, students will perform in front of their peers and professional artists. After the performance, adjudicators will give an oral critique and have a constructive conversation with the student(s) to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Students also receive a written critique.

Creative Writing and Film
Prior to the festival day, School Teen Arts Coordinators will submit student Creative Writing and Film entries to CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov. Professionals in the field will review these student entries prior to the festival. On the festival day, students visit with these adjudicators to discuss their work in-person. Students also receive a written critique.

Creative Writing students' work will also be published and professionally bound in the 2026 Teen Arts Creative Writing Anthology!

Visual Art
Visual Art is the only discipline that receives video critiques! Prior to the festival day, School Teen Arts Coordinators will submit digital images of student visual art to CulturalHeritage@somersetcountynj.gov. These digital images are sent to professional artists who will create short, personalized videos for each student identifying the work’s strengths and providing feedback for improvement.

If a student would like a video critique, it must be indicated on the Visual Arts Submission Form. Students that do not want a video critique may still display their artwork in the RVCC Gallery, but those submissions will not receive a critique.

Every year, students have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of interactive workshops and masterclasses in 7 artistic disciplines, taught by respected artists and college-level professors. Whether your students are new to the arts, or plan to pursue a career in the arts - there is a workshop for them! 

Workshops are first-come, first-serve. Many workshops have student capacity limits, so please remind students to arrive early to their desired workshops. A complete program of the workshops offered will be available prior to the festival day – have your students review their options before they arrive so they know what to expect!

After the Somerset County Teen Arts Festival, adjudicators will nominate a select number of students with exceptional skill and talent to present or perform at the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival held in June at Middlesex College. 

The New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival is the statewide culminating celebration of the arts dedicated to inspiring New Jersey teen artists, educators, professional artists, and arts advocates. During the three-day festival, students who have been invited receive valuable feedback, attend workshops, and interact with like-minded peers!

Schools will be notified shortly after the Somerset County Teen Arts Festival if their students were nominated to attend the State Festival.

Click Here to Learn More about the State Festival