Crusaders Got Talent

"Crusaders Got Talent" is the annual, LIVE, online talent show in which the Northwest Christian Crusader community picks the winners!

Our amazing students submit their talent videos, a panel of judges narrows the field, and then YOU text in your votes for the winners!

Cash prizes are awarded in multiple fields of competition in all three divisions of the school: elementary, middle school, and high school!

And, this Spring, we are adding an international aspect to the competition! We'll be including students from Kids Kingdom in Mexico, the City of Joy in Rwanda, and the International Academy of St. Petersburg in Russia!

ARE YOU READY TO COMPETE?

GET ALL THE DETAILS BELOW!

CRUASERS GOT TALENT GOES GLOBAL! During the 2025/2026 school year, we will enjoy two "episodes" of Crusaders Got Talent. The first happened on Thursday, October 16th. The second takes place on March 19th, 2026. A global audience will be watching contestants from Christian schools on three continents: Kids Kingdom, the City of Joy, and the International Academy of St. Petersburg.

Competition details.

Who is eligible? Crusaders Got Talent is open to Northwest Christian students that are enrolled on-the-ground, online, in the NCS Flex program, or within the NCS Online Partner Schools program.

What grades can compete? Students from Kindergarten through 12th grade will compete in three different divisions: Elementary (K-5th), Middle School (6th-8th), and High School (9th-12th).

What are the categories of competition? In each division, we will be accepting video or digital image entries (less than 5 min.) in the following categories: general music, nature photography, visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.) and athletics video highlights.

General music. Singing, dancing, instrumentals...anything! Take the time to record yourself (or a group of your friends) participating in a video presentation that showcases your music-centered talent!
Visual art. Create art whose products are to be appreciated by sight, such as painting, sculpture, graphic design, quilting, pencil drawing, oil painting -- any way in which you can create an artistic expression that is centered around a visual.
Nature photography. Share your love of the outdoors with others -- create a photographic image of a facet of nature that you appreciate. As an extra exciting aspect of this category of competition, all of these submitted entries will make it into the Come & See Journal for Crusader Creativity. Additionally, some of these images will be included for permanent display within the NCS Online school's on-campus Flex-space.
Athletic video highlight competition. In this category, two types of videos can be submitted. In the first type, we have collected video and photography highlights of four different Northwest Christian varsity basketball games from January 2026. You are encouraged to visit the links to these highlights, download them, and, using a video editor of your choice, put together a 2-3 minute highlight video of that game. Because these videos will be posted to YouTube, if you use music it must be copyright and royalty free music. In the second category, if you are an athletic, put together your own highlight reel -- have someone video you dirt biking, swimming, diving, playing soccer, or anything that showcases your athletic ability. Edit that video and send it in!

How is the judging done? Beginning this year, we will enjoy two types of judging in each category of competition: a live, popular vote that will happen as the show streams and a panel of judges prior to the event.

Are there prizes? Yes! Each division will enjoy 1st and 2nd place winners. The prizes will be: Elementary (1st - $250, 2nd - $100), Middle School (1st - $500, 2nd - $250), and High School (1st - $750, 2nd - $500). Students may win two prizes based on both the popular vote and the judging panel! (And, if you time it right, consider submitting your video for consideration in the NXNW Film Festival.)

To submit, send your entry to CrusadersGotTalent@ncsaz.org by 5pm on Sunday, March 15th.