Annual Juried Youth Exhibition

Since 2006, MOPA has held an annual juried exhibition showcasing the photographic talents of local youth. Every year, students are encouraged to submit work that responds visually to a particular theme. The winning entries are selected for their creativity and artistic interpretation of that year’s topic.

 


YX22
Magic & Myth
On view now through February 19, 2023!

MOPA’s 16th Annual Juried Youth Exhibition showcases the bold creativity of local youth artists.  Students in grades K-12 throughout San Diego County and Tijuana were challenged to explore the theme of Magic & Myth through photography and video.

This year’s theme resulted in visions of worlds beyond our grasp, tales shared over generations, and glimpses through the cracks of our known reality. These youth artists show us that a world of wonder has always been present within the realm of storytellers, spellbinders, and dreamers among us. It would do us all well to spend more time here.

Congratulations to the student artists selected to be part of MOPA’s 16th Annual Youth Exhibition Magic & Myth!

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Call For Entries

MOPA’s 17th Annual Juried Youth Exhibition
Now open for submissions!

Theme: “Exploration”

  • MOPA encourages you to be creative with your interpretation of the theme!
  • What would you like to explore?  What do you think about when you imagine exploration? Finding answers? Wading through the unknown? What might you photograph to show your thoughts and ideas?
  • Visit our submission site for more information, tips, FAQs, and submission requirements.

Submission deadline: May 8, 2023 at midnight

Learn more and submit!

 

Selection process:
The winner will be selected using the following criteria:

  • Originality– The artwork is creative, unique, inspiring, and/or engaging.
  • Theme– The artwork responds to the given theme of the current YX Call for Submissions. MOPA encourages creative interpretations of the theme.
  • Quality– The artwork is a high quality piece, demonstrating thoughtfulness, intent, and use of the medium to communicate clear ideas.

A winner will be selected during the final jurying process in May of 2023. Notification and award distribution will occur immediately following.

How to get started

  1. Change your mindset about photography. Get past literal interpretations of taking a photo. Approach this project actively and creatively.
    • A literal interpretation means: I’m going to take a picture of a car or a tree
    • A creative approach means:  I’m not going to take a photo of something, I will MAKE a photo that communicates an idea.
  2. Get inspired by our Photo Club Challenges! With a wide variety of techniques, themes, and ideas, our Photo Club Challenges can help you think outside the box and find new ways to express your ideas through photography!
  3. Understand the theme. What does exploration mean to you? Is it the promise of new adventures? Seeking answers? What does exploration look like? Where (or how) do you see it? Grounded in history? Charging into the unknown? Personal journeys? What does it look like or how would you recognize it?
  4. Be authentic to your own story. Make work that reflects who you are and what’s important to you.
  5. Don’t discount your voice just because you have not practiced communicating it visually. Find a way to get across what you want to say using a camera combined with your other strengths. Contemporary art – in photography and in other mediums – is about ideas, not perfect art technique.
  6. Stick to it. What if your photo doesn’t come out well? Making a good anything is about persistence. You try, you assess and critique – identify what you did worked and what didn’t – and you try again.

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Explore Previous Youth Exhibitions


2021: Darkest Nights, Brightest Stars
A unique combination of imaginative artworks  responding to two separate thematic calls for submissions: Growing Up and Space.

 

Image of Crescendo by Rayann Valenzuela
Rayann Valenzuela, 2019

2019: Dreamscapes

An exploration of the subconscious and the ways in which we perceive dreams. The featured photographs highlight individual and collective hopes, fears, and future inspirations

 


Madysen Adler, 2017

2018 Reverberate: Sound and Image
The student artworks explore a range of ways that we engage with and relate to sound.  For some, music and language evoke memories and connections to family and culture. For others, the sounds of the city and the voices of others are overwhelming and chaotic.  Some may not hear sounds at all, but feel and see them through vibration and resonance.

2017  Defining Boundaries
Youth artists explored a range of topics including physical boundaries, emotional boundaries, and societal boundaries in MOPA’s 12th Annual Youth Exhibition. Some artworks show boundaries as positive and protective, while others show them as limiting and binding.

Mark Cahill, 2016

2016  Animals Among Us
Inspired by the San Diego Zoo’s 100th anniversary, MOPA’s 11th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students in San Diego County and Tijuana to respond to the theme of animals through photography or video.

 

Silvia Shalom, 2015

2015 Self/Reflection
MOPA’s 10th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students to explore their identity in a photograph. This exhibition was open to students throughout San Diego County and Tijuana.

 

Gabriel Wilson, 2014

2014 We Are Family
MOPA’s 9th Annual Youth Exhibition asked young people to use lens based media to explore what “family” means to them.

2013 My City, Your City
MOPA’s 8th Annual Youth Exhibition encouraged students to use photography or video to explore the meaning of home and community.

2012 Photosynthesis
MOPA’s 7th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students to communicate important ideas about the environment and sustainability.

2011  See/Saw
MOPA’s 6th Annual Youth Exhibition represented the most creative and original works of art produced by students who participated in a MOPA education program.

2010 Reflections
MOPA’s 5th Annual Youth Exhibition asked students to explore their culture and cultural identity through photography and film. This exhibition was open to students throughout San Diego County.