Participate in our Reel Love Challenge for the chance to win a full 4-week scholarship to Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts! The theme for Usdan Summer 2025 is LOVE. Warm up for summer and start spreading love by joining our first-ever Reel Love Challenge. Up to five full 4-week scholarships to either day camp session (June 30 – July 25 or July 28 – August 22, 2025) will be awarded based on participants’ creative responses to the prompts.

See below for complete rules and regulations, including:

• How to Participate: Students Currently in Grades K–1
• How to Participate: Students Currently in Grade 2–12
• The Reel Love Application Form

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

For students grades K–1 living on Long Island or in NYC

What: The Love is Award (grades K – 1) — Parents! Share a 30 second reel of your child filling in the following sentences:

LOVE IS ________________________.

ART IS ________________________.

LOVE & ART ARE ________________________.

When: Share reels on Instagram by tagging @usdanarts or by submitting them with your application below. Submissions and forms are due Wednesday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m.

For students grades 2–12 living on Long Island or in NYC

What: Share a 60 – 90 second reel on Instagram demonstrating what (platonic**) love means to you through your favorite artform. Whether through storytelling, dance, gardening, acting, singing, making DJ sets, we want to hear how you express love through art!

Tag @usdanarts to be considered for the Reel Love Scholarship. We will follow up with a digital form to make your submission official. (Don’t want to submit on social media? Submit online and send your reel directly to Usdan.)

Standout submissions will receive special recognition titles, including:

The Creative Storyteller (Grades 2 – 12)

Creatively tell us a story about when you showed (platonic**) love through your art in 60 – 90 seconds. Recipients of the Creative Storyteller title may enroll in a Major or Minor of their choosing.

The DJ (Grades 4 – 12)

Submit a recording of a 60 – 90 second video of recorded sound and/or samples stitched together by you in a creative way that express your love for community, friends, family, nature, yourself, or anything else that you love. Tell us about your composition in the caption in your own words. Limit 200 words. Recipients of the DJ title must Minor in Found Sound or Intro to DJ Basics.

The Dancer (Grades 2 – 12)

Submit a 60 – 90 second clip of you performing a dance that expresses your love for community, friends, family, nature, yourself, or anything else that you love. Tell us about your clip in the caption in your own words. Limit 200 words. Recipients of the Dancer title must Major in Dance.

The Musician (Grades 2 – 12)

Share a 60 – 90 second clip playing music that expresses your love for community, friends, family, nature, yourself, or anything else that you love. Tell us about your clip in the caption in your own words. Limit 200 words. Recipients of the Musician title must Minor or Major in Music.

The Junior Theater Actor (Grades 2 – 6)

Share a 60-90 second clip of you performing a piece of theater that expresses your love for community, friends, family, nature, yourself, or anything else that you love. Tell us about your clip in the caption in your own words. Limit 200 words. Recipients of the Junior Theater Actor must Major in Theater in the Junior Division.

When: Share reels on Instagram by tagging @usdanarts or by submitting them with your application below. Submissions and forms are due Wednesday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. In order to qualify, you must submit an application in addition to the Reel that acknowledges parent/guardian consent to participating.  Submissions and forms are due Wednesday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m.

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE TO ENTER THE REEL LOVE CHALLENGE?

All online entries for the Reel Love Challenge must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on April 30, 2025. Any submissions received after that time will not be considered.

WHAT AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP DO REEL LOVE CHALLENGE WINNERS RECEIVE?

Up to five scholarship recipients of Usdan’s Reel Love Challenge will receive a full scholarship for a four-week session (June 30 – July 25 or July 28 – August 22, 2025) of their choosing to Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts in Summer 2025, including daily bus transportation from a central pick-up location. Partial scholarships will also be awarded. Scholarships and discounts cannot be combined to total 25% or more of the original tuition.

HOW TO APPLY?

A completed application includes a 60 – 90 second video, a completed application form, and parent/guardian consent. We recommend making and uploading your video before starting the application form as the form will request you include a link to your video.

Refer to the FAQs or email enrollment@usdan.org with any further questions about how to submit. 

** Please only submit PG responses. Think of love as it relates to friendship, community, your family, nature, yourself, the world, etc.!

Note: Parents should submit videos for students under the age of 13. We want the videos and the words your child shares to be your child’s own words so please no scripting them. Trust us when we say, we can tell.