More than 50 IUSD students were nominated for the OC Register’s Artist of the Year Awards. These students were selected as nominees for their talent, technique and heart.
IUSD’s nominations span into each category, which includes theater, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, film, media arts and fine arts.
Each year, junior or senior high school students across the county can either apply for or a teacher may submit a nomination to be recognized for their excellence within their respective art disciplines. Based on the most recent data collected by the California Department of Education, 79,004 juniors and seniors were enrolled in Orange County in the 2022-2023 school year, indicating that this year’s class of nominees represents the top 1% of all juniors and seniors in the county.
Following this initial nomination, a panel of arts educators will choose 16 semifinalists in each discipline to move on to a round of in-person interviews with arts professionals and arts faculty from Orange County universities. The semifinalists will be announced on April 21. Each discipline's top finalists and Artist of the Year will be announced on April 28.
Learn more about the nominees and the Artist of the Year program.