FAQ

Why Gold?

What are the benefits of Gold?

Gold Award is a Level 3 qualification (like A-Level or BTEC National) which shows your arts skills and your commitment to developing as an arts practitioner. You can use your portfolio at college or job interviews, plus Gold carries 16 UCAS points which can help with an application to university.

I just want to be an artist; how can Arts Award help me?

Gold Arts Award offers a great framework for developing your own arts practice and building a body of new work. It gives you structure and discipline, and the qualification adds to your CV. It also helps you to apply your artistic skills by running your own project which is how many artists make a living!

Getting going with Gold

How do I get started?

You need to find a Gold Arts Award adviser who can support and mentor you. If you don't know any, check the Arts Award centre map or contact your Bridge organisation for advice. Bridges are organisations which make links between arts organisations and young people, and they support Arts Award.

Can I do it alone or do I have to work with a group?

You need to work with an Arts Award adviser but you don't necessarily have to be in a group.

What do I do if there are no centres near me?

First thing to do is talk to your Bridge organisation. Some are running Gold projects at the moment so will be pleased to hear from you.

If that doesn't work, contact us at and we'll see if we can help.

Can I do Gold Arts Award remotely?

We have run a project called Get Gold which supports young people remotely so its worth getting in touch in case we can help – but we can't always guarantee places.

How much time do I need to put in?

Gold should take you around 150 hours and may take 9-12 months (rather like the first year of A-level).

How long do I have to do it?

As long as it takes – but we recommend completing within a year so you don't lose momentum!

How much help can I get?

Your Arts Award adviser is your mentor and helper, but you can also get help from Arts Award Supporters, which are arts organisations who welcome young people doing Arts Award. And you can get help from this Gold Hub and other young people doing Gold.

Can I get any funding?

If you're facing personal challenges, your adviser may be able to apply to the Arts Award Access Fund for you. Or you can try applying to vInspired Cashpoint if your project benefits your local community, or your council may offer small local grants for youth-led projects.

Extending your arts practice

What counts as an art form?

You can explore any art form including art & design, performing arts, literature, film and media. You can also work with a museum or library and you can do behind-the-scenes activities like arts marketing, exhibition curation and technical theatre.

How different does my new art form have to be?

You can choose a different art form – maybe you're a musician and you decide to work with a dancer. Or you can choose a different genre within your current art form – so you're a rock musician but you collaborate with a classical musician to make a new piece.

How much physical work do I have to produce?

This is up to you and depends on your practice – but you'll need to extend your work by exploring a new area of the arts for you, and produce some original work which is shared in public. Chris improvised with a jazz musician to create a new piece for flute.

Reviewing artists and cultural organisations

How many artists/organisations do I have to review?

You should aim to review the work of several artists or cultural organisations which have influenced your own arts practice so you can learn from other practitioners.

Who counts as an artist?

You can work with any arts practitioner in any art form and any area of the arts and culture – they don't have to be professional as long as their work is good. If you're interested in behind-the-scenes roles you can work with a stage-manager or arts administrator or gallery curator.

Gold opinion piece

What can my debate be about? How much referencing should I use?

You can choose any arts issue that you care about. Do some research so you know the arguments on either side, then decide where you stand and make your case! This is about developing your opinions rather than producing lots of research. Here are some examples.

Gold leadership project

What constitutes a leadership project? How big does it have to be?

The scale of the project is up to you but you need to lead the project and manage people and resources towards a public sharing. Get some ideas from our digital portfolios page.

Gold portfolio

What format can I document in?

You can use any format you choose – writing, photography, video, website. See examples of portfolios.

What am I supposed to be documenting?

You are tracking your own creative development in your arts achievement and your arts project. See examples of portfolios.

Can I combine online and printed portfolio?

Yes, but make sure you cross-reference between them clearly.

Are there any Gold resources that can help me?

Take a look at our Gold Hub resources and at other Gold portfolios

How do I get involved with others doing Gold?

Get involved with Gold Hub on Voice – we're looking for ways of linking people up!

Finished Gold?

What happens after I finish my Gold Arts Award?

Congratulations! Gold is the highest level of Arts Award, so you may want to think about training or a uni course or going into a job. Make sure you add Gold Award to your CV and add the UCAS points to your uni application. And perhaps you'd like to train as an Arts Award adviser?

How do I become a Gold Adviser?

Glad you asked. You'll have to do Bronze and Silver Adviser training first, and to qualify, you'll need the equivalent of two years experience of working with young people (which could be helping out at your youth theatre or volunteering at a youth club etc). If you want advice, contact us.