They are dancers and thespians.

They sing and play instruments.

They draw, paint, sculpt — by hand and by using digital devices.

They shoot photographs.

They design sets and sound and lighting.

They are filmmakers — writers, directors, editors, cinematographers.

Meet the Artists of the Year

Dance: Piper Rovsek, Newport Beach
Theater: Isabella Kim, Fullerton
Film and TV: Noah Villanueva, Irvine
Instrumental music: Allie Molin, Mission Viejo
Vocal music: Madison Becerra, Fullerton
Fine arts: Helen Zhang, Irvine
Media arts: Jennifer (Doyeon) Kim, Yorba Linda

And seven of them are now Artist of the Year for 2025 in their chosen discipline, an annual honor launched by The Orange County Register that is now in its 12th year.

They are poised to blossom into all that they can be.

The top students were selected from almost 1,000 applicants in dance, theater, vocal music, instrumental music, media arts, fine arts, and film and TV.

The Register is profiling each Artist of the Year in stories and photos published today in the paper and online.

The 29 finalists — selected alongside the Artist of the Year awardees after in-person presentations before panels of judges drawn from the local arts scene — are also being recognized.

And in May, all will be honored at an awards ceremony that is free and open to the public. The top students also get a chance to showcase their talents.

But really, a nomination alone is something to shout about.

“If you were nominated, you’re in the Top 1% of ALL juniors and seniors in Orange County,” said Heide Janssen, the Artist of the Year executive producer. “I hope students take immense pride in being chosen to represent their schools as a nominee.”

Students are nominated by their schools, private instructors and arts organizations — 82 entities in all this year tha submitted the names of 923 nominees, the most so far of any year.

Here’s a breakdown of the nominees by art form:

Dance: 126
Film and TV: 61
Fine arts: 184
Instrumental music: 120
Media arts: 102
Theater: 211
Vocal music: 119

The applicant pool was narrowed to 112 semifinalists, as chosen by high school teachers, many engaged in the Artist of the Year program since its inception.

Each discipline had its own separate panel of expert judges, professional artists and faculty from Southern California colleges and universities.

Year after year, those who participate in the Artist of the Year selection process come away impressed by the young people they see for all of 15 minutes each.

“I go home every year and I’m so inspired by these students,” said Boróka Nagy, a director of The Academy of Dance in Orange County and CEO of Reborn Arts nonprofit organization.

“They have this life force behind them.”

The Artist of the Year program is co-sponsored by The Register, Chapman University College of Performing Arts, and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The nonprofit Arts Orange County and individual donors provide additional support.

Talent and technique is only one component that is considered when choosing the finalists and Artists of the Year. Judges are also looking to see their hearts and their souls as artists.

How do they think about their art? How do they see it changing the world around them or changing themselves? What are they exploring? Where is their passion?

Are they demonstrating growth in their art form?

“It’s not a competition with scores and all of that,” said Scott Hedgecock, a retired high school music instructor who now teaches voice and mentors student teachers at Cal State Long Beach.

“It’s more of a big picture.”

Beyond their talent and technique, conversations the students have with the judging panels — encouraging them to articulate how and why they express themselves through their artform — helps the judges to see that picture.

The judges who select the seven Artists of the Year aren’t looking at what schools the students attend. Some of the students have only had two or three years of training while others have been honing their craft since early childhood.

This year is unusual in that five of the seven Artists of the Year happen to be students at Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana. The other two are from Northwood High and Crean Lutheran High, both schools in Irvine. In total, 15 schools and private instructors are represented by the group of top students.

Persistence pays off: Of the semifinalists, 10 were back again after being a semifinalist or finalist the previous year, with 5 of them named Artist of the Year this time around.

Often, the judges are moved beyond expectations.

“This is why I do what I do. It’s a reminder of why I chose to be in this business,” said Anne McNiff-Gaeta, director of group services at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

“It just touches you.”

The May 7 awards ceremony is at 5:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall on the campus of Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange. For more information on attendance and parking, go to ocregister.com/artistoftheyear.

If you would like to support Artist of the Year with a donation, you can contribute here. Donations will be made to Arts Orange County on behalf of Artist of the Year.

If you are interested in helping Artist of the Year grow by becoming a sponsor of this program, send an email to [email protected].

Meet the 2025 Artists of the Year

Dance: Piper Rovsek, Newport Beach
Theater: Isabella Kim, Fullerton
Film and TV: Noah Villanueva, Irvine
Instrumental music: Allie Molin, Mission Viejo
Vocal music: Madison Becerra, Fullerton
Fine arts: Helen Zhang, Irvine
Media arts: Jennifer (Doyeon) Kim, Yorba Linda