In early 2022, KCRW did an open call for all greater LA area Young Creators! We received hundreds of submissions from local musicians, poets/storytellers and visual artists. We chose 5 standouts in each discipline to spotlight across our airwaves, socials, and website. Check out our 2022 featured Young Creators below! Check back here in January for how to submit to Young Creators Project 2023.
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
KCRW's Selected Young Poetry Creators
Visual arts submissions are closed.
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 Art Creators spotlight
Young Creators Art spotlight: Ceci Apitz
Redondo Beach high schooler Ceci Apitz is out to critique the American food system.
Young Creators Art spotlight: JSJ Photo Collective
Sophmores Josue Monterroso, Jose Lopez, and Solomont Lytle-Hernandez, otherwise known as JSJ Photo Collective, meet up after school to take photographs of their community in Koreatown.
Young Creators Art spotlight: Kaia King-Hall
Kaia King-Hall’s drawing for Young Creators Project pictures a powerful nude figure lunging forward into a cityscape.
Young Creators Art spotlight: Minnie Lerner
Minnie Lerner’s sculpture for Young Creator’s Project is made with a vintage corset that has been ripped and embroidered.
Young Creators Art spotlight: Arianna Louie
Arianna Louie’s self portrait for Young Creator’s Project is oil painting collaged with photographs of her as a toddler.
KCRW's Selected Young Poetry Creators spotlight
Young Creators Poet spotlight: 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
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
- 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.
