The National Eisteddfod Academy, a non-profit organisation for youth development in the arts, funded by the National Lotteries Commission, launched the NEA Young Artist Awards Competition in 2013 to provide an opportunity for top achievers in the Creative Arts. Although the art section was already part of the annual NEA Young Performers Awards competition, the NEA realised that the visual arts should have its own platform, separate from the existing NEA Young Performer Awards Competition that provides specifically for the performing arts.

The NEA Young Artist Awards Competition focuses on acknowledging and promoting young visual artists: it provides a next level of competition for young artists that have participated in other eisteddfod and festival events. In the interest of all talented young artists in the country and to provide them with further opportunities for exposure and development, the NEA would like to join hands with these external eisteddfods and festivals. The organisers are invited to nominate and enter (under the name of their organisation) their top achievers, or alternatively the parents of the individual participants can.

For the many schools, institutions and private studios that do not participate in any eisteddfods or festivals, or only do so bi-annually, and/or manage their own internal visual arts events / competitions the NEA, to open up a window of opportunity for the young artists of these institutions, also invites these schools, institutions and studios to enter their top achievers to the Competition. As the level of achievement needs to be high, entries from these institutions may only be submitted by the institution itself, after its own internal selection process, and not by the parents of the young artists.

A panel of adjudicators will adjudicate all entries during three rounds of adjudication and their decision will be final. During the first round the best art works per grade will be selected, followed by the semi-final round where only one art work per grade will be selected. From this final selection a winner will be selected in each of the three categories (Entry Level (Gr. 0 – 3), Junior (Gr. 4 – 7) & Senior (Gr. 8 – Open Section). These winners will be announced on 20 May at the Brooklyn Theatre.