About the Festival
Atlantic Youth Art Festival is an international youth art exhibition that celebrates creativity, imagination, and interdisciplinary thinking.
Open to artists aged 7-18 worldwide, the festival encourages young people to explore meaningful ideas, connect art with the world around them, and share their unique perspectives through visual expression. Selected artworks are exhibited annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Connections – How We Connect with People · Nature · Culture · the World
Every day, we are connected to something larger than ourselves.
We connect with family and friends through love, trust, and shared experiences. We connect with nature through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the places that inspire us. We connect with culture through stories, traditions, languages, and creativity. We connect with the wider world through technology, ideas, travel, and the choices we make.
These connections shape who we are and how we understand our place in the world.
The 2026 Atlantic Youth Art Festival invites young artists to explore the many ways connections influence our lives. Through art, we encourage participants to observe relationships, discover patterns, ask questions, and express meaningful ideas about the world around them.
Rather than focusing on a single subject, this theme encourages interdisciplinary thinking — bringing together art, science, history, culture, community, and personal experience.
What connections matter most to you?
How do relationships shape your identity?
What invisible connections influence our lives every day?
What connections help communities thrive?
How might stronger connections create a better future?
We invite you to explore the relationships between people, nature, culture, science, and the world around you, to share your unique perspective through art and help us build a global conversation about the connections that unite us all.
Our mission
Atlantic Youth Arts, Culture & Family Society is a non-profit organization supporting youth and families through arts, culture, and community engagement, fostering creativity, belonging, and cross-cultural connections.