Arts Award facts

What?
Arts Award is a qualification offered at Levels 1, 2 and 3 (Bronze, Silver and Gold) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)*.  Certificates are awarded by Trinity College London.

Arts Award assesses how young people develop in their chosen arts activities rather than achievement of a specific skill level.

Young people can gain their awards through work in any art form.  This includes creative, technical and support roles.

Who?
Any young person aged 11 - 15 can take part.

A trained professional called an Arts Award adviser supports and mentors young people - usually an arts worker, teacher or youth worker.

Where?
Young people work towards their Arts Award at an Arts Award centre.

Any organisation which supports young people's activities can register as a centre if they employ or link with an Arts Award adviser.

An Arts Award centre might be an art gallery, theatre, school, college, youth club or youth arts project.

How?
Arts Award has two strands - arts practice and arts leadership.  Young people gather evidence of their creative and skills development which they present as a portfolio in any format.

Young people can work towards Arts Award within, outside and beyond school and college.

Arts Award advisers facilitate arts experiences, support progress and assess young people's portfolios before external moderation.

*The NQF is being superseded by the Qualifications and credit Framework (QCF) during 2010.  All three levels of Arts Award will be included within this new Framework.