APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS

Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicants must be Oklahoma residents.
  • In general, applicants for OSAI 2022 must be at least 15 years old by September 1, 2022. (i.e., Students may be as young as 14 during OSAI as long as they turn 15 by September 1, 2022.)
  • The vast majority of current 9th-12th graders can apply. Graduating seniors up to age 19 are still eligible.
  • The earliest most students are eligible to attend OSAI is the summer after their freshman year of high school. (Current freshman who will not be 15 by September 1, 2022 may still be eligible to audition. Please call our office at 405.605.7500 for more information.)

How to Apply

To apply for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, applicants must submit an online application and, depending on the artistic discipline, upload audition materials online and/or participate in a live audition.
 
1. Learn the basics of OSAI.
Explore the FAQ page to learn more about OSAI and the audition process.
 
2. Read the audition requirements for your artistic discipline(s).
Tap or click the following links to review each discipline's audition requirements and guidelines: acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing & painting, film & video, orchestra, photography.
 
3. Create an account and complete the online application.
If you have applied for OSAI before, you will log into your existing account.
 
To complete your application, you must pay the non-refundable audition fee(s) using our secure online system. The fee is $20 for the first discipline and $15 for each discipline after that. We accept credit cards, debit cards, cash, checks, and purchase orders. (Financial assistance may be available to those who qualify.)
 
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4. Upload audition materials, schedule a Zoom interview, or schedule an in-person audition. (Audition requirements are different for each discipline.)
Applicants in creative writing, drawing & painting, film & video, and photography are required to upload audition materials. Video uploads are limited to 1 GB. Image, word document, and PDF uploads are limited to 160 MB.
 
Film & video and photography applicants are also required to schedule and participate in an informal Zoom interview to discuss their audition materials. See the full Audition Schedule for dates of Zoom interviews. Students will need to upload their audition material at least 24 hours before their Zoom interview.
 
Applicants in acting, chorus, dance, and orchestra must schedule and participate in an in-person audition. See the full Audition Schedule for dates and locations.

Selection Process & Judging Procedures

All applicants, whether accepted, not accepted, or selected as an alternate, will be notified via email by April.

Auditions are judged by professional artists, educators, and members of the Oklahoma Arts Institute Artistic Advisory Panel. At least three judges score each discipline/instrument, and students are selected solely based on those judges’ scores.

All auditions are judged on a statewide basis. Selection is made at the conclusion of statewide auditions based on audition scores, NOT on applicants’ hometowns or other demographic information.

Auditions for all disciplines are as blind as possible, meaning that judges will not have applicants' names, ages, hometowns, etc.

  • Acting and dance auditions will be video recorded live and scored at a later date. Judges for acting and dance must see the applicants in order to score them, but they will have no other identifying information about the applicants.
  • Chorus and orchestra auditions are audio recorded live and scored at a later date.
  • Film & video auditions are partially blind, in that the interviewer has information about the applicant, but the judges who score their work do not. (Interviewers do not score film submissions.)
  • Photography auditions are also partially blind, in that the interviewer will collect certain information about each applicant's photography background and will assign them each a technical knowledge score. (Interviewers do not score portfolio submissions.) The judges who score the photography portfolio submissions will not have access to applicant names, ages, hometowns, etc.

The audition process should be a positive, educational experience. While nerves inevitably come with new experiences, please know the OAI staff is available to ease your worries and answer any of your questions. Don't hesitate to call or email anytime: 405.605.7500 or oai@oaiquartz.org.

Please also keep in mind that OSAI is very competitive (approximately 1,000 applicants audition each year for 270 spots), and many of our alumni were not selected the first time they auditioned. So if you are not selected this year, please try again next year.

Thank you for auditioning and good luck!

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