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
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!
KCRW's Selected Young Poetry Creators spotlight
Young Creators Poet spotlight: Meet Aiyana Sha’niel
Poetry teacher and performer Aiyana Sha’niel is the youngest graduate of the Community Literature Initiative program.
Young Creators Project poet spotlight: Gillian Chamberlin
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.
Young Creators Project spotlight: Salome Agbaroji
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.
Young Creators Project spotlight: Jacqueline Chow
Jacqueline Chow loves bugs. Her poetry speaks to the true beauty of nature.
Young Creators Project spotlight: August MacDonald
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
Young Creators Project spotlight: Taty
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.
Young Creators Project spotlight: Ruler of Program
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.
Young Creators Project spotlight: Ras
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.
Young Creators Project spotlight: Magnus Ferrell
Studio City’s Magnus Ferrell calls on his jazz piano background to inform his alternative R&B and “ballad/romantic type music.”
Young Creators Project spotlight: Madam Bombs
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.
Young Creators Project spotlight: alegrías
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
Guidelines
- Only one submission per artist.
- Please only submit videos that are 5 minutes or less.
- All submissions must be entered by Greater LA area artists who are under the age of 21.
- KCRW will need a sign off from a parent or guardian to spotlight any selected artists under 18 years old.
- 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.