ArtNow 2026: Before / Between / Beyond Awards Ceremony

Join us to celebrate the talented exhibiting high school artists and the announcement of the award recipients of . We invite the community to honor the emerging artists’ accomplishments, explore the exhibition, and enjoy performances and art activities.

NUMU is pleased to award over $10,000 in cash prizes and scholarships. During the event, we'll be announcing this year's award recipients. 1st Place, 2nd Place, and Judge's Recognition will be awarded in each of the 8 artistic categories (painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, photography, digital art, and video/animation), as well as a Best in Show, Staff Choice, and People's Choice Award.

Voting for the People’s Choice Award is open through Saturday, May 2, 4 PM (limit one vote per visitor per day). Starting May 2, People's Choice Award voting will be reserved only for those who pre-register for the Awards Ceremony.

Pre-registration closes Sat, May 2, 1 PM.

Exhibitions, programs, and operations are made possible by NUMU’s Board of Directors & Circle Members, the Michael & Alyce Parsons Art Endowment, Peggy & Phil Koen, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Borgenicht Foundation, the Flick Family, Jan Schwartz & Bob Baden, Ranae DeSantis, The Poncetta Charitable Fund, the Town of Los Gatos, and SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara.

NUMU's mission is to make programming accessible to all. Donations directly support the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs. Please contribute whatever you are able.

ArtNow is an award-winning annual juried Santa Clara County high school art exhibition and educational program, presented by New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU). ArtNow offers opportunities for high school student artists, from Palo Alto to Gilroy, to gain real-world experience by participating in a juried museum exhibition. Each year, a new theme is chosen for the exhibition and students are asked to submit works based on that theme. Look for #artnowatnumu on social media.

Important Dates

October 2025 Submissions open
January 25, 2026 Submissions close
February 20, 2026 Exhibiting artists announced
March 7, 8, 14, & 15, 2026 Artwork dropoff
March 27, 2026 Exhibition opens
May 2, 2026 ArtNow Awards Ceremony
July 19, 2026 Last day to see the exhibition
July 23-26, 2026 Artwork pickup

*Dates are best estimates & subject to change.

Learn more at

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher NUMU | New Museum Los Gatos