Teen Art Awards: Voices from the Finalists of the Groundbreaking 3rd Season in Qatar

What does a young artist feel when their work steps outside the privacy of their own space and becomes visible to the world? When art transforms into a dialogue — not just with an audience, but with oneself?

Teen Art Awards is more than a competition. It’s a living conversation between those just beginning to speak the language of art — and those ready to listen. A dialogue between cultures, generations, and individual voices. A platform where what matters most isn’t just talent, but the courage to be yourself. Where the true victory lies not in winning, but in realizing: “I have the right to be heard.”

In this edition, I speak with Daria Kalinina — curator of the competition and a guiding voice who helps young artists find their footing — about meaning, responsibility, and the profound emotional depth of Season Three. Alongside her, we hear from the winners themselves, whose works contain personal discoveries, reflections of our time, and glimpses of the world we’re all about to inherit.

Daria Kalinina - Teen Art Awards founder - on Trust, Dialogue, and Authenticity

Yuliana Arles: Daria, if you had to describe Teen Art Awards to someone hearing about it for the first time — what would you say? What makes this project truly unique?

Daria Kalinina

Daria Kalinina: Teen Art Awards is, above all, about trust. Trusting teenagers as full-fledged authors — as individuals who already have a point of view, emotional and cultural experience, and a desire to make a difference. We don’t try to shape our participants — we create a space where they’re free to be themselves, to speak honestly, to feel deeply.

What makes the project so unique is that it brings together a high level of international expertise — a professional jury, recognition from the art world — with the raw sincerity and unfiltered perspective of the teenage gaze. We don’t ask them to become artists — we invite them to realize that they already are.

That’s where the real magic happens: when a 14-year-old participant from Rwanda and a 17-year-old participant from Italy — who have never met — end up expressing the same truth through entirely different visual languages. And each one speaks with its own kind of power.

Yuliana Arles: From the very beginning, Teen Art Awards has been crossing borders. How has the project’s geography changed? And why was hosting the final in Qatar such a meaningful moment?

Daria Kalinina: When we first launched Teen Art Awards, we dreamed of it becoming a global initiative — but we never imagined how fast it would grow. In our very first season, submissions came in from dozens of countries. By the third season, we had participants from over 60 countries — from Japan to France, from Saudi Arabia to Kazakhstan.

The final in Qatar is a breakthrough. It doesn’t just expand our reach — it proves that the project lives within a global cultural context.

We had our second season in Dubai, where we saw teenagers who had never left their own countries standing on stage with peers from entirely different cultures, speaking different languages — and yet, expressing the same emotional truths: about fear, hope, identity, and dreams.

That was the moment Teen Art Awards became more than a competition. It became a truly international cultural dialogue among young people — about the world they are growing up in.

Yuliana Arles: The theme of Season Three was especially rich. What did you see in the participants’ work?

Daria Kalinina: This was our most challenging — and perhaps most important — season yet. We chose a deep and ambitious theme: Preserving Cultural Identity in the Age of New Technologies.

Teenagers today stand on the threshold of two worlds. They are still in the process of forming their human “self,” while already competing with algorithms. Their artworks became a way to hold on to that true self — to protect memory, language, tradition, and family from being drowned out by digital noise.

What was especially significant: for the first time, we received a large number of submissions created with the help of artificial intelligence. That was a challenge — for them and for us, as curators. But I believe Season Three became a kind of manifesto — a declaration from a generation that’s not afraid to engage with technology, but that also knows this: without memory, without values, without roots — no real dialogue is possible.

Young Artists on Their Journey, Their Art, and Their Message to Future Participants of Teen Art Awards

Yuliana Arles: What did participating in Teen Art Awards mean to you — as a creative, personal, and emotional experience? What makes this competition different from others you may have entered in the past? Were there any internal shifts, turning points, or moments of clarity that will stay with you for a long time? Take us through the journey — from submitting your application to the moment you found out you had won.

Viktoria Novikova

Taking part in Teen Art Awards felt like the beginning of a much larger journey — a kind of first step into the world of artistic competition and intentional self-expression. This was the first time I created something on such a scale, the first time I submitted to a contest… and the first time I won.

As I worked on my piece, I began to feel ambition take shape. With every new detail, I realized: I have ideas, I have energy, and I can carry a creative vision through to a strong result. That realization gave me a powerful inner push — I understood that I want to continue in art… and that I can.

The entire process — from submission to the moment I found out I had won — was intense and emotional. It was a month of detailed work, followed by an anxious wait. And then — this unexpected result. That moment wasn’t just joyful; it was a confirmation that I’m on the right path.

While working on the painting, I found myself thinking more and more about the connection between poetry and imagery.

Poems express emotions through words, but painting gives those words form, color, and space. That blend of forms was a personal discovery. I’m leaving this contest not only with experience and recognition, but also with a direction for my future — illustrating poetry. That’s now a part of who I want to become.

Yuliana Arles: : What would you say to young artists who are thinking about applying to the Teen Art Awards, but still feel unsure or hesitant?

Viktoria Novikova:

Competitions are always emotional and never easy — but they’re definitely worth trying. Bring your ideas to life, draw, create — even if it seems at first like there’s no place for them, trust that over time each one will find its purpose and opportunity for realization.

Teen Art Awards is a great chance to speak up, to gain valuable experience, and to feel like you’re on the right path. And ultimately, it’s experience that shapes us — into who we are, and who we dream to become.

Anastasia Savchenko

Teen Art Awards opens doors to new horizons — and new victories. I’ve participated in many competitions before, and what makes this one different is its truly international standard, which is carefully upheld by the organizers.

And yes, it led to personal breakthroughs. My painting is a reflection on the future of humanity. What will it look like? Will it really be bright — or are we making the wrong choices in our pursuit of a so-called ideal? After thinking deeply about that, I started to see the world around me in a different way.

I was absolutely thrilled when I found out my work had won first place. I’ve taken part in Teen Art Awards for three years now, and this is the first time I’ve received a prize.

I’m definitely taking with me the new, luminous meanings this experience has revealed — meanings I now carry into every new piece I create.

Yuliana Arles: What would you say to young artists who are thinking about applying to the Teen Art Awards, but still feel unsure or hesitant?

Anastasia Savchenko: Never be afraid to try something new!

Worst case — you won’t make it to the winners’ list. But that’s not a failure. The most important thing is to keep going, to keep trying again and again without fear of mistakes or temporary setbacks. I think my own story speaks for itself: for two years in a row, my works didn’t make it into the finals — and this year, I’m one of the laureates!

Hirwa Kayitaba Gloria

At first, joining Teen Art Awards felt like an adventure — something exciting and unknown. But very quickly, it turned into something deeper: a journey inward, a space for self-discovery and growth. This competition pushed me to share my ideas with a wider audience and to keep challenging my own creativity.

TAA helped me step out of the comfort zone of my private sketchbook. I began to see myself not just as someone who draws for herself, but as an artist capable of taking on something bigger.

Honestly, I didn’t feel very confident going in. I saw it more as an opportunity to gain experience than a shot at winning. So when I found out I was selected as a finalist — it came as a total surprise. I felt a mix of emotions: shock, joy, and a sudden, solid sprout of self-belief.

What changed me the most was working on my piece Invaded. I learned how to overcome fear — that constant inner whisper asking, ‘What if you fail?’ In the process, I learned to release that tension and let the art guide me — freely, and without hesitation.

Yuliana Arles: What would you say to young artists who are thinking about applying to the Teen Art Awards, but still feel unsure or hesitant?

Hirwa Kayitaba Gloria: I would tell them to move forward regardless of whatever is making them hesitant and that it’s okay to feel kinda scared or anxious about something before doing it but

the problem is letting your fear hold you back.

Polina Serdyuk

 As someone who’s taken part in — and won — many creative competitions, I can say with confidence: Teen Art Awards was something entirely different. It felt like a return to myself — to what I truly love, to what matters and feels close, but which can sometimes get lost in everyday life. This project helped me reconnect with my inner ‘self’ — with a theme that isn’t just interesting to me, but one I truly live.

Teen Art Awards is unique. I don’t know any other competition that treats young artists — especially those working in the language of contemporary art — with such care and respect.

The creative process became a genuine turning point. My art had always been a way to express the personal: thoughts, emotions, flickers of inner fire I needed to capture before they burned me up. But working on my Teen Art Awards piece, I felt a shift. I realized I wanted not just to express myself — but to engage in dialogue: with the theme, with society, with the world. Art became not only a space of expression, but of response. Of reflection. Of meaning.

The experience itself was a rollercoaster. Submitting the application — exciting, full of anticipation. Waiting for the results — a mix of hope and anxiety. And then seeing my name on the list of winners… it was an emotional explosion. Joy, gratitude, a deep sense of validation — a moment that continues to inspire me even now.

There was a moment when I almost gave up. I couldn’t quite grasp the idea, couldn’t express it. I felt overwhelmed with thoughts but burned out on meaning. What helped was taking a pause. A few days of rest — and then something shifted. I reconnected with myself: I remembered why I make art, what inspires me, what I stand for. That gave me strength.

Now I know for sure: it’s okay to feel stuck. Sometimes you need to stop in order to hear yourself. That’s a lesson I’m taking into the future — along with the ability to reflect on my art, to trust the process, and to seek not only form, but meaning. Yuliana Arles: What would you say to young artists who are thinking about applying to the Teen Art Awards, but still feel unsure or hesitant? Polina Serdyuk: Just do it! Don’t be afraid to share your work with the world.

Even if you don’t win or make it to the finalists, remember: every creative challenge is a valuable experience.

Anastasia Novokreshchenova

Participating in Teen Art Awards was a revelation. For the first time, I felt like I was in a space where people truly see and hear you. I had joined competitions before, but this was different. It’s not just a platform — it’s a community.

Winning isn’t the only goal here — it’s about being part of something greater. Even those who don’t take home prizes are still noticed, supported, given a chance to be seen. And you feel that.

At some point, I realized that creating art isn’t always about chasing perfection. What really matters is being honest with yourself — not being afraid to show vulnerability. I stopped trying to make things ‘pretty’ and started using art to express what I was truly feeling. That changed something in me.

Every step of the process was filled with emotion — from choosing my work to waiting for results. When the email came saying I had won, I had to read it several times to believe it. That feeling — of being seen, and valued — is incredibly warm and motivating.

I remember one evening: I was staring at my artwork, and suddenly I saw it differently. It carried something much deeper and more personal than I had realized before. That’s when I understood — sometimes art knows more about you than you do. That sense of honesty with yourself — I’ll carry that with me going forward.

Yuliana Arles: What would you say to young artists who are thinking about applying to the Teen Art Awards, but still feel unsure or hesitant? Anastasia Novokreshchenova: Don’t wait for the moment when you finally feel ‘good enough.’ That moment might never come — but it’s the act of participating and the experience itself that make you stronger. Teen Art Awards is a place where you’ll be given a chance, even if you’re still doubting yourself.

Sofya Khaidova

 Participating in Teen Art Awards was a completely new and exciting experience for me. I had joined other competitions before, but this one stood out. It brought together young artists from 60 countries — an incredible number. And the topic we had to explore wasn’t easy — which made it all the more captivating.

While working on my submission, I tried to share my own perspective on the world today. And honestly — I was afraid I wouldn’t succeed. But thanks to this process, I learned to listen more carefully — to myself, to my emotions, and to my own capabilities. That alone was a personal breakthrough.

Submitting my work to a project of this scale was nerve-wracking. I didn’t even think about winning — just being part of it felt like an achievement. When the email came saying I had won a prize, I couldn’t believe my eyes. And then — I was overwhelmed with joy and pride.

There was one moment that became especially meaningful for me. I realized how much time we lose to the internet and technology — and how often we miss the beauty that’s all around us because of it. I understood that I can share my emotions and observations through art. That’s what I’m taking from this project: time passes, but true inspiration is right here — in reality, not on a screen. And we can’t afford to miss it.

Yuliana Arles: What would you say to young artists who are thinking about applying to the Teen Art Awards, but still feel unsure or hesitant?

Sofya Khaidova: Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I might be missing something in life — and that’s exactly why I want other young artists not to be afraid, and not to doubt themselves.

You’ve got to make the most of this life — we only get one!

Even if you don’t win or become a finalist, it doesn’t mean it was in vain. Quite the opposite — it’s a new experience and new opportunities that will help you keep growing as an artist.

Qatar - Doha

Onward — to Doha. Daria Kalinina on the upcoming Teen Art Awards Great Final in Qatar

Yuliana Arles: A new season is ahead. When you think of the final in Doha — what images or feelings come to mind? Is it a challenge, a revelation, or the beginning of something new?

Daria Kalinina: When I think of Doha, I see a bridge. A bridge between the past and the future, between heritage and technology, between East and West.The final in Qatar isn’t just a logistical step — it’s a symbolic continuation of the project’s idea, in a place where culture and progress don’t clash, but coexist in harmony.For me, it’s definitely a challenge — but an inspiring one. Doha sets a different pace, a different depth, a different kind of meaning.  Here, what matters isn’t just the visual — but the context, the respect for cultural codes, the subtlety of delivery. And I feel that it’s in Qatar where the project could open a new chapter — not in terms of scale, but in how teen art is understood: as an intellectual, ethical, and cultural phenomenon.

Yuliana Arles: What will make the Qatar Great Final special? What’s coming that might even surprise you?

Daria Kalinina: First of all, it’s the deep integration with technology. For the first time, we’re working seriously with the topic of artificial intelligence in art, with digital platforms, with how technology changes our perception of reality. And yet — we’re not losing the connection to tradition. On the contrary, in Qatar we’re introducing new award categories that focus on craft, fashion, and jewelry practices rooted in the region’s cultural heritage.

What might surprise me? I think the strength and maturity of the submissions.Qatari teens grow up in a unique context: they have access to cutting-edge knowledge, yet they show deep respect for their roots. I’m sure we’ll see works where the fusion of traditional and modern will resonate powerfully.

 I believe this season won’t be “just another one” — it could be transformative. A season where Teen Art Awards reaches a new level of reflection and meaning.

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