Celebrating Art Educators at the VAO 2025

At the heart of every great artist is someone who inspired them – someone who opened the door to creative expression, nurtured their ideas, and encouraged them to explore the unknown. This year, the Visual Art Open (VAO) 2025 continues to champion these unsung heroes through our dedicated Art Educator category.

What is the Art Educator Category?

The Art Educator category recognises those who dedicate their careers to nurturing artistic talent and creative thinking in others. It’s open to a wide range of individuals who teach, guide, and inspire others through art – whether in schools, communities, clinical settings, or online. If you're helping others find their creative voice, this is your space.

We want to hear from:

• Art teachers across all levels – from early years to higher education

• Classroom assistants who support art delivery and engage students one-on-one

• Workshop hosts and facilitators working in museums, community centres, or online

• Independent mentors, teaching artists, and arts-in-health practitioners

• Those using art as a tool for inclusion, wellbeing, or rehabilitation

• Gallery and museum educators who lead public learning and engagement programmes

• Youth workers and community arts leaders integrating visual arts into broader outreach

• Art therapists who use creative practices to support emotional expression and development

• Creative facilitators in prisons, care homes, or refugee centres

• After-school club leaders or holiday art camp organisers

• Online art educators and content creators delivering structured art learning digitally

If you’re involved in passing on your creative skills to others, you’re an art educator – and your work deserves to be seen.

Why We're Celebrating Art Educators

Art educators are the lifeblood of the creative community. They shape the next generation of artists and cultivate an appreciation for visual culture in people of all ages. Yet, their own artistic practices are often overlooked in favour of their teaching. The VAO believes it’s time to shine a spotlight on the creativity of those who empower others.

This category not only acknowledges the vital work of educators, but also offers a platform to showcase their own artwork, recognising that teaching and creating go hand-in-hand.

Reduced Entry Fees for Art Educators and Students

To make the VAO more accessible, we’re offering a reduced entry fee for art educators and students. We understand the financial constraints often faced by educators and those in training, and we want to ensure that cost is never a barrier to participation.

Whether you’re entering a single artwork or submitting a small series, our tiered pricing makes it easier to get involved and gain valuable exposure.

Join Us in Celebrating the Artists Who Teach

If you’re an art educator with a creative practice of your own, we encourage you to share your work and your story. The VAO 2025 is your platform to be recognised not just as a teacher, but as an artist in your own right.

Submit your entry today and be part of a growing movement that values the transformative power of teaching through art.

Enter here: https://www.visualartopen.com/

Deadline: 11th June 2025