Calling All Artists!
SPAC is now accepting submissions in the forms of visual art, literary art, and the performing arts for the next FOYA Online Gallery exhibition and Live Event!
In addition, SPAC and Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) are teaming up to once again offer a Student Composition Contest! One student composer will be selected to have their work premiered by the ESYO Symphony Orchestra during the festival! Click on the link below for more details.
Student Submissions Deadline: January 31, 2026
Gallery Launch: May 2026
FOYA Live Event: May 31, 2026
Submit for 2026
We encourage submissions from high school students as well as performing ensembles! Teachers and directors may submit on behalf of their students or ensembles.
All submissions are considered and selected based on the following criteria:
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Originality and emergence of a personal vision or point of view
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Demonstrated skill and/or technique
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Interpretation and clarity of the festival theme
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Overall impression and/or impact of the piece
Middle and high school students and youth ensembles who reside in or are part of a school or organization based in the following NY counties are invited to submit photos of artwork, digital copies of literary compositions, videos of performances, and digital copies of orchestral compositions: Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington
Questions?
Contact the SPAC Education Department:
Submission Deadline
All art, literary, and performance pieces must be submitted no later than Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Nature moves through cycles of growth, transformation, reflection, and renewal—and so do we. Each season brings its own mood and meaning, shaping both the world around us and the landscapes within us. To commemorate 60 years of SPAC and its recent blossoming into a vibrant, year-round community space, middle and high school students are invited to create original works in visual art, poetry, or the performing arts inspired by the seasons - what shifts, what stays, and what sings beneath the surface of change.
Seasons
2026 Festival Theme
FOYA 2026 Outstanding Artist Awards
In addition to selecting numerous works to be showcased in the online exhibit and potential live event, Saratoga Performing Arts Center is awarding one student in each of the three categories - Visual Art, Literary Art, and the Performing Arts - with the distinction "FOYA 2026 Outstanding Artist".
Each of the three artists selected will receive $500 to support the further development of their craft. Award money will be granted in the form of a written check and presented to the student at the live event on May, 31 2026.
PAST FESTIVAL VISUAL ART WINNERS
We launched our online gallery during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to showcase the incredible talent in our community when we could no longer hold our in-person festival. Over the years, this digital space has evolved into a lasting tradition—a dedicated platform to celebrate the outstanding work of students from across the Capital Region. Below, you'll find the past festival winners, since its inception in 2018, whose artwork served as the centerpiece of the festival in the year they were honored.
Theme: Self Portrait
Self Portrait
Pallavi Datta
Niskayuna High School
