The Orange County Register is proud to announce the 2026 nominees for the Artist of the Year program.

Created as a companion to the Register’s longstanding High School Athlete of the Year honors, Artist of the Year celebrates outstanding junior and senior artists across Orange County who have been nominated by their arts teachers and private instructors.

Now in its 13th year, the program continues to spotlight the depth and diversity of artistic talent throughout the county. This year, 888 students were nominated, representing 88 local high schools, arts organizations and private arts instructors.

According to the most recent data from the California Department of Education, 77,122 juniors and seniors were enrolled in Orange County during the 2024–2025 school year. This year’s nominees therefore represent approximately the top 1.2% of all upperclassmen countywide.

Students are nominated in seven disciplines: theater, dance, film and TV, vocal music, instrumental music, fine arts and media arts.

Following nomination, a panel of arts educators carefully reviews submissions and selects up to 16 semifinalists in each discipline. Those semifinalists advance to in-person interviews with arts professionals and university faculty from across Orange County. Semifinalists will be announced April 19.

The program culminates in a public awards celebration on Wednesday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. in Samueli Theater on the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus. During the ceremony, the top students will be announced and are invited to perform and present their work. The event is free and open to the public.

This year, Segerstrom Center for the Arts continues its leadership support of the program.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with the OC Artists of the Year Awards and to host this year’s celebration in the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts,” says Casey Reitz, president and CEO of the Segerstrom Center. “This year is truly special, as the Center celebrates its 40th Anniversary. Each year, we are amazed by the extraordinary level of talent in Orange County. At last year’s ceremony, I witnessed student work that simply took my breath away, including an innovative, glucose monitor designed to improve lives without requiring blood. In that moment, it was clear to me that we’re seeing the future leaders of our community on that stage. These young artists and innovators embody the creativity, determination, and vision that will shape Orange County for generations to come, and we are honored to celebrate and support them.”

Segerstrom Center joins Chapman University College of Performing Arts in supporting Artist of the Year. Chapman has partnered with the program since 2020.

“The College of Performing Arts at Chapman University is proud to celebrate the incredible talents of young artists through the OC Artist of the Year program,” said Anne Hogan, dean of the College of Performing Arts. “It’s a privilege to partner with the Orange County Register to honor these young artists, showcase their achievements, and champion the transformative power of the arts. We believe that arts education not only inspires creativity but also equips young people with invaluable skills that resonate across any career path.”

In addition to our lead sponsors, the Register welcomes Segerstrom Center resident companies Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale as award sponsors this year for instrumental music and vocal music. Their partnership makes it possible to provide cash awards to each of our top students. The dance award is named in honor of Judy Morr, and Segerstrom Center sponsors the theater award.

Award sponsorships are still available for Media Arts, Fine Arts, and Film & TV.

Additional support is also provided by Arts Orange County. Together, these sponsorships are vital to the continued success and growth of Artist of the Year.

To support Artist of the Year with a donation, visit: bit.ly/4ekUNMv. Donations are made to Arts Orange County on behalf of Artist of the Year.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, email ocartistoftheyear@aoy.scng.com.

All nominated students are listed below with the school or arts organization they represent. Visit ocregister.com to read teacher endorsements and view samples of the students’ work.