🥁🥁🥁 The numbers are in and they are mind-blowing 🤯! The Urban Arts Class of 2026 🎓 has earned $25M in scholarships for 2026, enrolling at colleges and universities across the country. This is what joy 🎉 looks like on a spreadsheet. For students from low-income communities where a school college counselor is a luxury, not a given, Urban Arts offers free, robust College Access with:
• one-on-one counseling,
• essay and recommendation coaching,
• application and financial aid support,
• field trips to campuses and exclusive, in-house college fairs,
• workshops with corporate partners,
• and near-peer mentorship through the Urban Arts College Fellows program.
The research is clear: a college degree changes the economic trajectory of a life and a community. Since 2020, Urban Arts seniors have earned over $71M in scholarships, nearer to our $100M by 2030 goal.
We're gonna need a bigger goal!
Unity National Association for College Admission Counseling
Urban Arts
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We teach digital game design 👾 as a pathway to college 🎓 and career 📎. Because a quality education shouldn’t depend on a child’s zip code.
We design and implement educational programs rooted in the arts and technology for underrepresented students. We teach underrepresented students the art and technology of game development through computer science, coding, animation, music, and storytelling. We provide private-school level college-access services and ensure our students earn the maximum in scholarships. We connect our alumni to men
Hey Mayor Mamdani! A team of dedicated NYC high school seniors are committed to your presence at the Urban Arts annual Arcade Saturday, June 6th. They're creative technologists, next up to power the city with fresh talent 😉!
⭐️ DO YOU KNOW ? ⭐️ Get these students in front of him!
Urban Arts is the nonprofit that teaches video game design as a pathway to college and career, offering free instruction for students to open doors in STEM and the arts. We provide free, robust college-access services, garnering 100% college acceptance and over $46 million in scholarships for students from low-income communities. All of our programs are completely free.
From Urban Arts Students: Dear Mayor Mamdani,
We're students at Urban Arts who come from diverse backgrounds and communities to create games together. We’ve scripted, planned, and shot videos to (in)formally invite you to our Arcade event! tiktok.com/
“What exactly is Arcade?” Our annual Arcade showcases the games we’ve made over a school year’s worth of hard work. We celebrate creativity, innovation, and future talent—and it’s just such a blast for all of us. So we would absolutely love for you to come and see what we've built! (And perhaps partake in the fun if you can.)
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. We hope to see you at Arcade. Come play the games!
Urban Arts Students!
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment
SPACE IS FILLING UP! **FREE** is here 😎 ‼️WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?‼️ Join other gamers to create and play. All equipment, instruction, snacks/lunch 🍕 and transport are FREE. Shout out to the students of these schools that will have a blast 💥 this summer, imagining and building their very own video game. We'll see you soon! Join them asap—we always fill up!
.nyc .cte NYC Department of Youth and Community Development
This game is SOLAR CYBER RUSH made by Nicole, Ceyda, Megan, Tarin, Amy , Elyjah and Aissaiyah.
Check our your options at https://urbanarts.org/gameacademy/
🆓 🆓 🆓 🆓 🆓 🆓 🆓
05/12/2026
Build a game 🕹️ in 2 weeks! IT'S FREE. Virtual 💻! And nationwide 🗺️!
In partnership with Endless Access, Urban Arts is hosting a free, 2-week virtual game design intensive for HS students this summer. Earn an industry-recognized microcredential from Endless Access X the ASU Endless Games & Learning Lab. Add it to portfolios & college apps.
In StoryQuest Camp, you will
★ design original game levels,
★ create your own characters,
★ ship a completed project in Godot, and
★ present it in a virtual showcase.
Free. Virtual. Open to students nationwide in grades 9–12.
Two cohorts that both
★ meet online,
★ in three-hour sessions,
★ M, T, W, Th, + F,
★ for two weeks.
APPLY! ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ https://bit.ly/storyquestcamp
NOTE: A parent or guardian must be present as you complete this application to approve your participation.
05/11/2026
Next month, we're launching over 100 new alumni 🎓🎓🎓! We're announcing our grads and our 2026 scholarship haul June 1 🗓. Why should you follow along? Because you're going to meet young people like Mabel—an Urban Arts creative technologist, a Nagler Scholar, an EARLY summa cm laude graduate of Fordham, and a new Salesforce staffer. ⭐️ She's a game changer ⭐️
Urban Arts is the national nonprofit that teaches digital game design as a pathway to college and career, offering free instruction for students to open doors in STEM and the arts. Urban Arts uses games as education, and the power of play to unlock opportunity.
Their free Game Academy in NYC serves local students year-round.
Urban Arts provides free, robust college-access services, garnering 100% college acceptance and over $46 million in scholarships. Students and alumni are connected to mentorships and networking opportunities at leading media and technology companies, generating a new talent pipeline and a more equitable future.
Read more here: bit.ly/mabel-at-fordham
Fordham University
05/08/2026
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 🍎 to educators everywhere!
A special thank you to our Game On computer science teachers across the country, who bring Game On by Urban Arts, our College Board-approved game design curriculum, to life in the classroom. You're teaching AP CompSci Principles *AND* teaching young people that their creativity has a future, that a career in tech is within reach, and that the games they imagine are worth building.
The outcomes our students achieve—college acceptance 🎓, scholarships 🏆, future-ready skills 🔮—start with you. Learn more here—it's free! 🆓 https://urbanarts.org/game-on/
Thank you! (Part 2 💐)
C.E. King High School
Jefferson County Schools
C.E. King High School
Cyber Academy of Excellence
05/08/2026
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 🍎 to educators everywhere!
A special thank you to our Game On computer science teachers across the country, who bring Game On by Urban Arts, our College Board-approved game design curriculum, to life in the classroom. You're teaching AP CompSci Principles *AND* teaching young people that their creativity has a future, that a career in tech is within reach, and that the games they imagine are worth building.
The outcomes our students achieve—college acceptance 🎓, scholarships 🏆, future-ready skills 🔮—start with you. Learn more here—it's free! 🆓 https://urbanarts.org/game-on/
Thank you! (Part 1 💐)
Chickasaw City Schools .asb Pacifica High School .soccer
Cyber Academy of Excellence
cte Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School
05/06/2026
10 snaps of hotties 🔥 owning the at **PART 1**
Stuffy? ❌ Joyous? ✅
Urban Arts is the national nonprofit that teaches digital game design as a pathway to college and career, offering free instruction for students to open doors in and the arts. Urban Arts uses games as education, and the power of play to unlock opportunity.
Thursday, our annual benefit welcomed hundreds of folks dripping in bright, feel-good . Our work is serious and effective, but sometimes we just look high-key amazing 🤩.
Peep some guests in a sea of sequins, neon, stripes, florals, checks, velvets, feathers, animal prints, plaids, metallics, abstracts, gemstones, paisleys—and a pair of $$$ Ben Franklin sandals.
(We were SOLD OUT. Save that date for 2027... April 7!)
05/04/2026
Students! This is what Color Ball 🪩 is really about. The generous Urban Arts community raised $1.1 Million and counting 🏆 in just one night, committing to access, equity and a future that works for all of us. Yet, Color Ball is different—our students run the show.
Meet the 2026 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:
Jannat, Programming Lead at Old Man Studio at Urban Arts and a senior at John Dewey High School;
Kim, Project Manager and Art Lead at Spooky Soiree Studio at Urban Arts and a senior at The High School of Fashion Industries;
Farhan, Narrative Lead at Spooky Soiree Studio at Urban Arts and a senior at Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Education High School; and
Mely, Game Designer and Narrative at Old Man Studio at Urban Arts and a senior at Curtis High School
These four commanded the Color Ball stage with Philip Courtney, our CEO, surrounded by some of the most influential people in tech and media, and shared their journeys.
At Urban Arts, we teach digital game design and emerging technologies as a pathway to college and career to students from low-income communities. Our students develop the technical fluency and creative confidence needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving economy.
These four—and over 100 other NYC seniors from low-income communities—are now on to higher degrees through our College Access 🎓 program. With 100% college acceptance, and $56 Million in scholarships (so far!) we’re ensuring a new talent pipeline.
Learn what a partnership with Urban Arts can look like. Schedule a visit 📆 to see the work in practice and meet our students. Reach out at [email protected]
It's TODAY!!! In just a few hours, the 2026 URBAN ARTS COLOR BALL kicks off. This party is EPIC 🪩 And this year we're a fundraiser that's SOLD OUT 🔥 That's how you know it's good. Follow along and tag for an all-out celebration with some MAJOR SURPRISES 🤩
(There's always next year! STD April 7, 2027)
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
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39 West 19th Street
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10011