The EXPLORE Arts Award

Earn an Arts Award by... discovering creativity, trying new things and building confidence!

Arts Award Explore gives the opportunity to discover the rich world of the arts, get creative and gain recognition for what they achieve along the way.

Across this engaging 6-week course, learners will explore different forms of art, find what they like, take part in creative activities, discover the work of artists and arts organisations, and develop their own ideas and skills. They'll gradually build a personal Arts Award portfolio that captures what they have created, discovered and enjoyed.

The focus isn't on being the "best" artist or already having lots of creative experience - in fact, you dont even need to feel 'good' at art! Learners can find out about different forms of art they might not have experienced before and explore the areas that genuinely interest them...

• Visual Arts — drawing, painting, illustration, printmaking, collage, sculpture, mixed media

• Craft & Making — textiles, sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, jewellery, ceramics, model-making, paper craft

• Photography — portrait, nature, documentary, creative and experimental photography

• Digital Art & Design — digital illustration, graphic design, animation, digital collage and creative design

• Film & Video — filmmaking, storyboarding, cinematography, editing and short-form creative video

• Creative Writing — stories, poetry, scripts, spoken word, journalism and other creative writing

• Music — singing, instruments, composition, songwriting, music production and exploring musical styles

• Drama & Theatre — acting, script work, directing, theatre design, costume, set and performance

• Dance & Movement — different dance styles, choreography and creative movement

• Fashion & Costume — fashion illustration, clothing design, textiles, costume and wearable art

• Architecture & Spatial Design — architecture, model-making, interiors, set design and creative spaces

• Illustration & Comics — character design, comics, graphic novels, cartoons and visual storytelling

• Animation — stop-motion, 2D animation, character animation and animated storytelling

• Spoken Word & Performance — poetry performance, storytelling and other performance-based arts

• Heritage Arts — traditional crafts, historic art forms, cultural collections and creative responses to heritage

• Combined Arts — projects combining several art forms, such as illustration + writing, music + film or drama + costume.

Why take Arts Award: Explore?

The Explore Arts Award is a good starting point for young learners on the Arts Award journey. They can go on to do Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards (gold is worth 16 UCAS Points). 

• Discover new interests by exploring different art forms and creative opportunities.

• Build creative confidence by experimenting, making choices and developing their own ideas.

• Develop communication skills by discussing creative work and expressing their own opinions.

• Become more independent by making decisions about their work and taking ownership of their portfolio.

• Recognise their achievements by seeing their experiences, ideas and creations come together into a body of work.

• Gain an accredited award that celebrates their creativity, participation and learning.

Designed for online learning

Our weekly live small-group sessions provide ideas, inspiration, discussion and guidance, while learners can complete creative activities in ways that work for them at home.

There is no requirement for everyone to create the same thing - unique individual pathways are suggested and encouraged. One learner might choose photography, another drawing, music, craft, creative writing, theatre or digital art. This gives children the freedom to develop an Arts Award that reflects their own interests and creativity.

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🐝 A little note about our first block 🐝

As we’re launching later than planned, this first block is a shorter 3-week block. You’ll only pay for these three lessons, and our usual 6-week blocks will follow. We can’t wait to welcome you!

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