YouCreate competition

There are some great prizes up for grabs, including an iPad and Amazon vouchers.

A 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize will be awarded in each of two categories. 

1. Year 7-10 Category – for those in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 (born between 01/09/2009 and 31/08/2013)
• 1st prize- Apple iPad
• 2nd prize- £150 Amazon e-voucher
• 3rd prize- £75 Amazon e-voucher

2. Year 11-13 and FE equivalents Category – for those in Year 10, 11, 12, 13 and FE equivalents (born between 01/09/2006 and 31/08/2009)
• 1st prize- Apple iPad
• 2nd prize- £150 Amazon e-voucher
• 3rd prize- £75 Amazon e-voucher

The YouCreate Competition is open to students who are aged 11 to 18 years old, living in the United Kingdom. To enter you must be in Years 7-13 or an FE equivalent, and born between 01/09/2006 and 31/08/2013. 

These terms and conditions apply to the 2024/25 YouCreate Competition for the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). This year’s theme for the competition is ‘Dreams’.

By entering this competition, entrants agree to the following:

1. ‘The YouCreate Competition’ (“hereinafter referred to as “the competition”) is open to secondary school and college students residing in the United Kingdom. 
2. To enter you must be in Years 7-13 or an FE equivalent, and born between 01/09/2006 and 31/08/2013. 
3. Employees, students and agencies of the University for the Creative Arts, or their family members, or anyone else connected with the competition, may not enter the competition. 
4. Participants must reside in the United Kingdom. 
5. We may ask you to provide us with proof of your eligibility to enter the competition and we reserve the right to decide whether or not eligibility criteria have been met. Breach of any of the eligibility criteria may result in your disqualification from the competition. 
6. To enter the competition, you must complete the online form and upload your work on the competition website www.uca.ac.uk/competition before the competition deadline: midnight on 31st May 2025. 
7. Any work entered must be original and must not have been submitted for any other competitions. You must own all the rights in the work including the right to reproduce the work and you must guarantee that no part of your work infringes any third-party copyright. 
8. When sending in your competition entry you must complete the online entry form providing your name, date of birth, gender, home address including postcode, telephone number, e-mail address, year group and the name of the school/college you attend (if applicable). 
9. If you are under the age of eighteen you must provide the name, email address and telephone number of your parent/guardian. By completing the competition entry form, you are confirming that you, as the participant, and your parent/guardian (if under 18) understand and agree to the competition terms and conditions. In all communications about your entry, we will email you and your parent/guardian.
10. The last date for entries is at midnight on 31st May 2025. This deadline will be strictly applied, and entries will not be accepted thereafter. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that the submission is completed by that deadline. 
11. By submitting an entry to the competition, you give UCA permission for your entry to be exhibited at UCA premises, to be uploaded on the UCA website and social media pages, and grant UCA, its successors or assignees royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual rights to reproduce and distribute your competition entry, worldwide, in electronic format and hard copy. Your submission to this competition gives UCA the right to use your name, age, year group, school/college and town or city of residence for the purposes of identifying you as the author of your entry, and informing your school/college if your entry is shortlisted or wins a prize. If you are under 18 you must get consent from your parent/guardian for this. 
12. UCA accepts no responsibility for entries not received for whatever reason. 
13. UCA will select a panel of a minimum of three judges, at least one of which will not be a university employee. The judges will determine the winners and runners-up from a shortlist of entries selected by the Outreach team.
14. In the event of a tied vote for the top-prize(s), a final winner will be chosen at the discretion of the Outreach Manager. 
15. Shortlisted entries will be displayed at a UCA Campus for an exhibition (this may be hosted online if institution and government guidance advises against in-person events at the time). Selected work may be published in an exhibition guide celebrating the entries, either in printed or online format. The winner and runners up will be announced at the exhibition and further confirmed by email. The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. 
16. UCA reserves the right to appoint new/substitute judges at different stages of the competition for reasons outside its reasonable control (including, but not limited to, in the case of illness, unavoidable absence or conflict of interest of any of the judges). Prizes
17. The prize structure is as follows
    • A 1 st, 2nd and 3rd prize will be awarded in each of two categories. Your entry will be automatically entered into the relevant category based on your date of birth.
      •  Year 7-10 Category – for those in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 (born between 01/09/2009 and 31/08/2013) 
        1. 1st prize- Apple iPad
        2. 2nd prize- £150 Amazon e-voucher
        3. 3rd prize- £75 Amazon e-voucher 
      • Year 11-13 and FE equivalents Category – for those in Year 10, 11, 12, 13 and FE equivalents (born between 01/09/2006 and 31/08/2009)
        1. 1st prize- Apple iPad 
        2. 2nd prize- £150 Amazon e-voucher
        3. 3rd prize- £75 Amazon e-voucher
18. 18. The prizes are as stated, and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prize is not transferable. The prize is subject to availability, and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice. 
19. UCA reserves the right to not accept an entry and all decisions on this, and on the subsequent selection of works for exhibition, will be final and not subject to appeal. 
20. UCA accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering the competition, accepting the prize or being included in the exhibition. UCA further disclaims liability for any injury or damage to you or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials in connection with the competition. 
21. UCA reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this competition and or exhibition, with or without prior notice for any reason. The competition will be governed by English law. Personal Data 
22. This competition is linked to the University’s Kent and Medway Progression Federation (KMPF) outreach programme and the data entrants provide will be used for long term tracking to help evaluate the effectiveness of this activity and different initiatives on widening participation to HE. 
23. Your personal data supplied during the course of this promotion will be processed for the purpose of this competition and long term tracking (research into access to Higher Education carried out by the Higher Education Access Tracker - HEAT) as set out in the Outreach and Widening Participation KMPF privacy notice.
24. Entrant data will be stored in accordance with current data protection legislation. 
25. If you have any questions about our Privacy Notice or concerns about our dealings with your Personal Data, please contact the data protection Office at dpo@uca.ac.uk. Additional information 
26. Details of the competition are correct as at date of publication. 
27. Sending in an entry to the competition means that you accept these terms and conditions, which are the rules of the competition. If you are under eighteen, your parent or guardian must also agree to you entering the competition based on these Terms and Conditions. UCA will not shortlist entries where you or your parent/guardian has not accepted the terms and conditions.

If you have any questions about your entry or the competition, please email us at outreach@uca.ac.uk.

• V1.0: October 2023 – version approved by DPO
• V1.1 August 2024 – updated with new theme and DOB age brackets for the 24/25 academic year

Can I submit a group entry?

We cannot accept group entries.

How old do I have to be to enter the YouCreate Competition?

To enter you must be in Years 7-13 or an FE equivalent, and born between 01/09/2006 and 31/08/2013.

Can I submit an entry if I don't live in the United Kingdom?

We cannot accept entries from outside the United Kingdom. 

How many entries can I submit?

You can only submit one entry per person. 

What type of art can be submitted?

We accept any form of artwork - such as sculpture, animation, photography, painting, poetry and short films.  
Whatever art form you choose, you must be able to upload a photo or URL link of your piece.

Is there a fee to enter?

No, our competition is totally free to enter.

Can I post you my entry?

Unfortunately, we can only accept entries via our online form. Please take a photo of your artwork and upload it to us via the entry form.

How will the competition be judged?

The artwork will be judged by a panel of judges including internal UCA staff and creative industry experts. 

How will I know if I’ve won?

Winners will be announced at the private view (opening night) of the competition exhibition, or notified by email if they are unable to attend this event. The exhibition private view will be in July 2025 at UCA Canterbury campus.

What if I need more help or have more questions?

Please email us at outreach@uca.ac.uk