Adobe believes creativity not only makes the world a more beautiful place, but it is also a critical component to addressing some of the most difficult challenges we face as a society.

The global State of Create report Adobe released last year revealed only one in four people believe they’re living up to their own creative potential. In response, we’ve aimed to address this “creativity gap” by further imbedding creativity into our products, communities and schools.

Through Adobe Youth Voices (AYV), Adobe’s global philanthropic commitment, we’re working to ignite creative confidence in youth by empowering them to find their voice and make it heard. In doing so, we can help them become more active and engaged members of their communities and society at large. As an extension of this commitment, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of this year’s AYV Aspire Awards competition.

Now in its second year, AYV Aspire Awards is a global, online challenge that invites youth to creatively express their vision for driving positive change in local communities. Participants can convey their ideas using a variety of visual storytelling methods, from videos to photo essays. In addition, a new category for this year – the UNICEF Challenge – invites youth to develop a video proposal for a project they’d like to implement.

The Aspire Awards call for entries is now open, and we’re looking forward to kicking-off online voting for the public in late April.

Last year’s entries showcased remarkable talent. Below are a few of our favorites.

It’s an exciting time for us – please check out our AYV site for more info, and keep an eye out for more AYV-related announcements in the coming weeks.

Hoodforts dispels misconceptions about “hooded” youth in the Mile End area of London.

Cambio Jovenes explores how youth can shape the world around us.

Keep Pushing is about the importance of persistence in the face of hardship.

The hits keep coming for Adobe Youth Voices. Today, the Adobe Foundation announced that it has joined forces with MTV, Dell and Samsung as supporting partners of the Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards.

Launched just this year, the Aspire Awards are a first-of-their-kind online youth media competition and festival showcasing creative media from teens ages 13-18 worldwide. The awards honor youth who creatively communicate a vision for change in their communities and lives through video, print and audio projects. 

We’re thrilled to have the support of MTV, Dell and Samsung for the inaugural AYV Aspire Awards. As part of its involvement, MTV is presenting a special award to recognize one young person whose exceptional video content leverages music, and provides a clear call to action for the audience. The recipient of this award will win a trip to MTV studios in New York City!

Students are invited to participate in partnership with an educator, who will submit media on behalf of their students in eight media categories ranging from documentaries to graphic design. Entries will be evaluated by a global panel of teen peers, youth media professionals, educators, media industry experts and filmmakers, including Neil Bennett, Sarah Kay, and Robert Kenner. MTV Act, which celebrates young people who take action to make things better, will feature Aspire Awards winners on the MTV Act website.

Submissions must be made by April 20^th and we’ll announce the semifinalists on May 4^th.  So spread the word to a creative student and visit our Aspire Awards website for more details.