What Is Arts Award and Why Does It Matter?
At Keane Futures, we believe creativity is for everyone, and that young people should be given the chance to explore their passions, build confidence, and develop real-world skills. That’s why we offer the Arts Award, a nationally recognised qualification that helps young people grow as artists, leaders, and creative thinkers.
We focus on Bronze and Silver Arts Award, which are perfect for young people aged 11–25 who want to take their creativity to the next level.
Page from a young person’s Silver Arts Award portfolio developing illustration & cross-hatching techniques.
What Is Arts Award?
Arts Award is a programme run by Trinity College London that encourages young people to take part in the arts, develop new skills, and share their achievements. Unlike traditional exams, it’s flexible, meaning young people can shape the award around what they enjoy, whether that’s music production, visual arts, painting, film, literature, poetry, photography, performance, digital design, or craft.
Bronze Arts Award
Bronze is all about exploration and participation. To achieve it, young people need to:
Take part in arts activities – trying out new skills or developing existing ones.
Explore the arts as an audience member – this might mean visiting an exhibition or watching a performance.
Research an inspirational arts person – from favourite musicians to unknown artist, young people will learn about the life, works and career of their chosen creative.
Share their skills with others – this could be through a presentation, a performance, or workshop.
Bronze is a fantastic first step that builds confidence and shows young people they can achieve a nationally recognised qualification through creativity.
Silver Arts Award
Silver takes things further, focusing on independence and leadership. To achieve it, young people complete two units:
Unit 1: Arts Practice and Pathways
Learners dive deeper into their own art form, set themselves challenges, and explore the arts world, including jobs and opportunities.Unit 2: Arts Leadership
Learners design and deliver their own arts project. This could be running a workshop, organising a showcase, curating an exhibition, or leading a collaborative music project.
Silver develops vital skills such as planning, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership, all of which are valuable for education, work, and life.
Why Does Arts Award Matter?
Arts Award is more than just a certificate, it helps young people to:
Build confidence by achieving something tangible and nationally recognised.
Develop transferable skills such as organisation, communication, and teamwork.
Explore career pathways in the creative industries, which is one of the UK’s fastest-growing sectors.
Express themselves in ways that traditional learning doesn’t always allow.
Most importantly, it gives young people a voice and a chance to shine in their own way.
Arts Award at Keane Futures
At Keane Futures, we deliver Bronze and Silver Arts Award in a hands-on, inclusive, and creative environment. Whether it’s through music production, art and design, performance, or cross-arts projects, we support young people to achieve their award in a way that reflects their individuality.
We know that many of the young people we work with learn differently, and the flexible structure of Arts Award means they can showcase their strengths without being held back by rigid assessments.