Young Creators Project


Calling all Young Creators! We’re looking at you — musicians, poets, storytellers and visual artists. KCRW wants to see and hear what you’ve got and spotlight the pieces that stand out most across our airwaves, socials, website, and *drumroll please* at KCRW’s Young Creators Showcase live in June!

Throughout the program, KCRW will also be hosting virtual Ask Me Anything events (AMAs) to put you in touch with established LA-based creators. Get your big questions answered by some great artists who know the creative scene like the back of their hands. And, if you submit a piece, you’ll be invited to attend our virtual Group Critiques to watch selected submissions receive critical feedback from LA’s top tastemakers.



March:

MUSIC

KCRW's Selected Young Music Creators


Check out the rest of our music submissions from KCRW's Young Creators Project in March.


April:

POETRY + STORYTELLING

KCRW's Selected Young Poetry Creators


Check out the rest of our poetry submissions from KCRW's Young Creators Project in March.


May:

VISUAL ART

LA artists! Give us a studio visit, won’t you? KCRW is accepting submissions for visual art pieces. Send us your work accompanied by a filmed artist statement expressing your process and what you’re hoping to get across with what you’ve created.


Submissions Open
Sunday, May 1st at 12:00am 

Submissions Close
Tuesday, May 31st at 11:59pm



Selected Young Creators will be featured on the following channels once submissions close:

  • On KCRW’s socials
  • On KCRW.com
  • In KCRW newsletters
  • On-air on KCRW
  • At the KCRW’s Young Creators Showcase live in June

Selected Young Creators will also receive:

  • $250 contract for your piece to air or be shared on KCRW.
  • Music: $100 Guitar Center retail gift card, along with a Guitar Center Lessons gift card ($180 value — good for a month of music lessons). And $100 in studio credit from Pirate.com.
  • Poetry & Storytelling: $50 Stories Books & Cafe gift card, along with an opportunity to perform at a Stories reading.
  • Visual Arts: $100 Crush + Touch Art Supply gift card.

Every young creator who submits will automatically receive a year of KCRW membership with all the perks!


Keep up with us and receive text updates about the series!


KCRW's Selected Young Poetry Creators spotlight


Poetry teacher and performer Aiyana Sha’niel is the youngest graduate of the Community Literature Initiative program.

Gillian Chamberlin’s haunting and beautiful poems will make readers long and ache. She says that writing poetry allows her to make her thoughts more digestible.

Salome Agbaroji, a high school student in Artesia, loves the adrenaline of performing spoken word poetry. Her writing speaks to the beauty and disparities in her hometown of LA.

Jacqueline Chow loves bugs. Her poetry speaks to the true beauty of nature.

August MacDonald finds peace in writing poems. She writes about brains and bodies and how humans are changing chameleons.


KCRW's Selected Young Music Creators spotlight


The high school senior has only performed at talent shows, but can already name Graham Coxon among her collaborators. She joins us to discuss her passion for composing, creating space for underrepresented artists, and more.

Middle school student Nathan Horowitz takes inspiration from The Beatles, Marc Rebillet, and Bill Wurtz among others to create his own music under the moniker Ruler of Program.

Leimert Park’s Ras has been honing his hip-hop craft since 2015, evolving his surrealist production, effortless flow, and studied visual palette to create undeniable outputs.

Studio City’s Magnus Ferrell calls on his jazz piano background to inform his alternative R&B and “ballad/romantic type music.”

Expect shades of Bikini Kill and the Runaways along with face-melting drums and hook-laden lyrics that bring girls to the front of the mosh pit, and keep them there.

Armed with a cello and rich R&B rhythms, the college quartet’s penchant for shifting seamlessly between English and Spanish proves to be just one of the group's many selling points.

Events for Young Creators


YoungCreator Stories

This spring, KCRW is amplifying the voices of young LA-based creatives and empowering them to share their work with the launch of the Young Creators Project.

KCRW’s Young Creators Project wants to give young artists a serious platform

This spring, KCRW is amplifying the voices of young LA-based creatives and empowering them to share their work with the launch of the Young Creators Project.


Guidelines

  1. Only one submission per artist.
  2. Please only submit videos that are 5 minutes or less. 
  3. All submissions must be entered by Greater LA area artists who are under the age of 21. 
  4. KCRW will need a sign off from a parent or guardian to spotlight any selected artists under 18 years old.
  5. If you're submitting a piece as a group, the majority of artists must be under the age of 21.

FAQ


Who’s reviewing the submissions and deciding which artists will be selected?
KCRW’s music and culture teams will be reviewing all the submissions and handpicking a few artists to spotlight across our channels.

What does it mean for my work to be featured by KCRW?
Selected creators will be featured on KCRW’s socials, newsletters, website, on-air, and at KCRW’s Young Creators Showcase live in June!

Who is allowed to participate?
You must be under 21 and based in the Greater Los Angeles area (including Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Orange counties).

Does my video submission have to be a live performance or can I use pre-recorded audio?
Whatever works best for you, friend! 

What happens if my video is over 5 minutes?
Your piece will not be considered for selection by KCRW.

Am I allowed to use obscenities in my piece?
Yes, but if you are selected for an artist spotlight, KCRW will censor your piece on air per FCC guidelines. 

When and where is the Young Creators Showcase?
Details coming soon. For updates, text YOUNGCREATORS to (424) 407-3102.

How will I know if I’m selected? When will selected artists be notified? 
KCRW will choose which artists to spotlight one week after submissions close. KCRW will reach out to you directly if you are selected. 

How do I register for a Virtual Group Critique?
When you submit your piece, there will be an option to RSVP to the Virtual Group Critique. 

Who can I contact with questions that aren’t included in the FAQ?
Please reach out to events@kcrw.org for any further questions.

Thanks to our friends!