Art Scholarships

Art isn’t just a throw-away class…it’s a subject that can lead to a meaningful career for creative students. Forget finger painting and paper dolls, though: If you want to make a living as an artist, you must have true talent, a unique voice and the ability to express a passion for your medium of choice in each project you take on. Are you doing that already? Well then, you’re already on your way toward a successful future doing something you love. Might as well get a little financial aid to help you along!

Art scholarships run the gamut from drawing to painting to photography to design and even include art of the culinary, musical and literary varieties. Many art scholarships are specific to a particular state, county or even a particular college in addition to the art major or art interest/ability requirement, so we recommend you go to www.scholarships.com to conduct a free scholarship search. If you have an interest in art scholarships, be sure to include this information while conducting your search. If any of the art scholarships in our database are available to you, you will see them in your search results.

ALBA George Watt Memorial Essay Contest
Application Deadlines: July 15, Annually
This annual essay competition was established in 1998 to honor Lincoln vet George Watt, a writer and lifelong activist central to the creation of ALBA.

Students from anywhere in the world are invited to submit an essay or thesis chapter about any aspect of the Spanish Civil War, the global political or cultural struggles against fascism in 1920s and 1930s, or the lifetime histories and [...] More

Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Scholarship
Application Deadlines: February 01, Annually
The Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Scholarship was established in 1999 with funds from the Alumni Society Golf Tournament and the Alumni Casino Night. The Society supported the establishment of this scholarship in order to assist with the recruitment of talented performing student artists to UAB.

To be eligible for this award, applicants must be high school seniors/graduates and [...] More

Betty Harlan Memorial Art Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 01, Annually
Scholarship applications are read and scored by committees of volunteers who use a "blind" review process.

Eligibility:
-Graduating senior from a public or private high school
-Who resides in Boone, Ogle, or Winnebago County
-Who plans to pursue a degree in visual arts, visual art education, or visual art history
-Has a minimum 2.75 GPA
-Shows involvement in organizations and activities [...] More

CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 29, Annually
The CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship is for students with majors in the visual arts including, but not limited to, architecture, ceramics, drawing, fashion, graphic design, illustration, interior design, painting, photography, sketching, video production and other decorative arts.

Eligibility:
-U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
-Currently/planning to be enrolled in the upcoming [...] More

CINTAS Knight Foundation Fellowship in Visual Art
Application Deadlines: July 01, Annually
Visual Arts may include painting, sculpture, installation art, photography, video, and the media arts. Media arts encompasses narrative, non-narrative, documentary, animation, or experimental time-based works using audio, digital, film and/or video media; also included is computer art in which the computer is an essential element of the work's creation, presentation or [...] More

Emily M. Hewitt Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 15, Annually
This scholarship is for a promising upper division or graduate student who shows a commitment to communicate and interpret a love of nature and an understanding of the need to practice conservation.

Eligibility for application is extended to any student or graduate student enrolled full-time in an accredited California post-secondary educational institution whose educational career goals [...] More

ESA Foundation Scholarship Program
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
In 2007 the ESA Foundation established a scholarship program to assist women and minority students who are pursuing degrees leading to careers in Computer & Video Game Arts. In 2009 we extended this opportunity to graduating high school seniors and doubled the amount of awards granted from 15 to 30.

The scholarships are offered for full-time undergraduate study at accredited four-year colleges [...] More

Foundation for the Carolinas Scholarships
Application Deadlines: March 04, Annually
The Spirit Square Center For Arts and Education Scholarship Fund provide scholarships to undergraduate students with demonstrated aptitude and career potential in the arts.

All applicants must:
-Have demonstrated talent and a declared major that indicate potential for a significant career contribution to the arts
-Be a rising college junior or senior in good academic standing with his or [...] More

Gold Grant Scholarship Award
Application Deadlines: March 31, Annually
The Northwest Watercolor Foundation is a nonprofit arm of the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS). One of the purposes of the Foundation is to support emerging young visual artists by providing financial awards to committed, deserving students. Established in the early 1990s, the Gold Grant Award has been presented annually to an outstanding and promising art student.

Full-time undergraduate [...] More

GRCF Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids Minority Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
Grand Rapids Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships annually primarily to Kent County students bound for or in college, or those pursuing a technical career.

The Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids Minority Scholarship is open to students of color (African American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander) attending a non-profit public or private college/university [...] More

GRCF Mathilda & Carolyn Gallmeyer Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
Grand Rapids Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships annually primarily to Kent County students bound for or in college, or those pursuing a technical career.

To be eligible for the Mathilda & Carolyn Gallmeyer Scholarship, students must be Kent County residents (five-year minimum) pursuing undergraduate studies in painting/fine arts. Applicants must demonstrate artistic talent, [...] More

GRCF Paul Collins Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
Grand Rapids Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships annually primarily to Kent County students bound for or in college, or those pursuing a technical career.

The Paul Collins Scholarship is for undergraduate level students studying fine or applied arts at Aquinas, Calvin, GVSU, GRCC or Kendall. Must be a resident of Kent County, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, have financial need, and [...] More

Haymarket Gallery Emerging Artists Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 31, Annually
The Haymarket Gallery Emerging Artists Scholarship is open to residents of Lancaster County Nebraska who plan to major in or are currently majoring in art. Applicants can be high school seniors or current college students.

For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's [...] More

HEEF Arts Scholarship Program
Application Deadlines: January 19, Annually
HEEF scholarships are based on a combination of low-income family background, academic achievement, and involvement in extracurricular activities, community volunteer work, church service or work-employment. The HEEF Arts scholarship is for high school or community college students who are admitted and enrolled in music, drama, dance, visual or fine art, graphic design or related major. May be [...] More

Hope College Distinguished Artist Awards - Visual Arts
Application Deadlines: February 15, Annually
Each year at Hope College up to sixty Distinguished Artist Award (DAA) scholarships are given to students with strong academic records and outstanding creative abilities in art, dance, music, theatre or creative writing. Renewable for four years, the DAA's provide eligible students with $2,500 each year toward their college costs. DAA recipients also take part in a variety of opportunities set up [...] More

Indiana State University Jack E. and Virginia Carpenter Fine Arts Scholarship
Application Deadlines:
Established in 1999 by Cheryl and C. Thomas Steiner to honor Cheryl's parents, Jack and Virginia Bradbury. Dr. and Mrs. Bradbury are both alumni of Indiana State University. The scholarship, which was established to assist needy students in the arts, is based in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Open to: sophomore or junior art student and Indiana resident, with a minimum GPA of 2.5 in his/her [...] More

Iowa Scholarships for the Arts
Application Deadlines: February 01, Annually
At the time of application, student applicants must be enrolled at the senior class level in an Iowa high school and display proven artistic ability in the areas of music, dance, visual arts, theater or literature.

Scholarship funds are awarded contingent upon recipients being accepted as full-time undergraduate students at a fully-accredited Iowa college or university. For more information [...] More

ISI Henry Salvatori Fellowship
Application Deadlines: January 16, Annually
The ISI Salvatori Fellowship seeks to further an understanding and appreciation of the principles held by the American Founding Fathers and the culture that formed their values and views.

The Salvatori Fellowship is granted to current graduate students in a field related to the American Founding. Eligible applicants are:
-Members of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
-Engaged in graduate [...] More

Jane T. Anderson Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 31, Annually
The Jane T. Anderson Scholarship is for public high school seniors in Lancaster County, Nebraska who are planning to major in Art, Art History, or Museumology.

For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's [...] More

John F. & Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship Fund
Application Deadlines: February 01, Annually
The John F. & Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship Fund is for students who would make art their profession. This award is intended for serious-minded students of conservative art - namely, painting and drawing.

The scholarship is open to United States citizens only, both men and women, single or married, irrespective of race, creed or color. Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years old. Appointments [...] More

John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship Fund
Application Deadlines: February 01, Annually
The John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship Fund is open to United States citizens only, both men and women, single or married, irrespective of race creed or color. The age limit is between 18-35 years.

The purpose of the scholarship, in accordance with the clear stipulation of the Stacey's will, is to foster high standard in the study of form, color, drawing, painting, design, and technique, [...] More

JSU Alabama Julian Jenkins Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 01, Annually
This scholarship was established by Mr. Julian Jenkins, a former Anniston architect, for a sophomore or higher majoring in art. The student must demonstrate, in the opinion of the art faculty, an exceptional creative ability and dedication to the arts.

For more information on this award, please visit our website. [...] More

JSU Alabama Opal R. & Opal A. Lovett Scholarships
Application Deadlines: March 01, Annually
This scholarship was established by Mr. Opal R. and Ms. Opal A. Lovett for a deserving student majoring in history, English or art who has achieved sophomore or above status with a minimum 2.5 GPA. Mr. Lovett was the university's photographer prior to his retirement. Ms. Lovett taught in the English department prior to her retirement.

For more information or to apply, please visit the [...] More

Marion Barr Stanfield Art Scholarship
Application Deadlines: February 15, Annually
The Stanfield Scholarships Program is funded by a trust created by Mrs. Marion Barr Stanfield for Unitarian Universalists studying the fields of art and law. The Marion Barr Stanfield Art Scholarship is for either graduate or undergraduate Unitarian Universalist students preparing for a career in fine arts. The terms of the trust limit eligibility to those in the study of painting, drawing, [...] More

Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadlines: January 31, Annually
The Television Academy Foundation's Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarship Program awards two scholarships to graduating seniors (must be continuing directly to graduate school) and graduate students (Masters or Ph.D) to support and encourage them to pursue a career in children’s media and further the values and principles of Fred Rogers’ work. The scholarships are project-based and may not be used [...] More

MIT Inspire Competition
Application Deadlines: November 30, Annually
MIT INSPIRE is the first national research competition for high school students in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The competition is organized by MIT undergraduates. Participating high school students, as individuals or teams of two will submit research reports in one of 13 fields, such as history, economics, or philosophy. Approximately 100 finalists with the most exceptional reports [...] More

Mount Mary University Layton Art Scholarship for Current Students
Application Deadlines: November 23, Annually
The Frederick R. Layton Art Scholarship is a scholarship available to incoming and current Mount Mary students who declare a major in an arts and design academic area. Multiple scholarships of up to $3,000 each are awarded every year.

The scholarship is named for Frederick R. Layton, who created the first art gallery in Milwaukee in 1880. (The art collection is now housed in the Milwaukee Art [...] More

Mount Mary University/Frederick Layton Art Scholarship for Incoming First-Year & Transfer Students
Application Deadlines: January 23, Annually
The Frederick Layton Art Scholarship Program is named in honor of Frederick Layton, 1827-1919, an early Milwaukee patron of the arts and founder of the Layton Art Gallery (1888-1955) where the Layton School of the Arts and Design (1920-1972) originated.

The trustees of the Layton Foundation established the Frederick Layton Art Scholarship to perpetuate Frederick Layton's legacy of bringing [...] More

NACIS Student Dynamic Map Competition
Application Deadlines: May 31, Annually
In the egalitarian spirit of the Internet, the competition will be administered entirely online. Entering the competition is easy. Send us an email through our website with a URL pointing to your map. There is no entry fee.

There are two competition categories: animated maps and interactive maps.
-An interactive map offers more than just the traditional representation of spatial information; [...] More

Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship Fund
Application Deadlines: March 01, Annually
Founded in 1949, the Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship is available to graduating seniors from public high schools in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington state. Application forms are only available through these high schools and candidates for the scholarship are nominated by their school each year. Awards range from $500 to $2,000 a year, and scholarships are renewable for four (4) [...] More

Oklahoma Future Teachers Scholarship Program
Application Deadlines:
The Future Teachers Scholarship Program was established by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as an incentive to encourage the preparation of teachers in critical shortage areas in the public schools of Oklahoma.

Eligibility:
-The student must be a resident of Oklahoma
-The student must be nominated by the college in which they are enrolled on the basis of: cumulative high [...] More

Robert Sherman Fine Art Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 30, Annually
The Robert Sherman Fine Art Scholarship was established to foster the study of art and advance the development of artists in keeping with the mission of the Glenview Art League. It is for a high school senior planning to pursue a college degree in a visual art. Students will be judged without bias or prejudice based on their application, the quality of their work, and letters of recommendation. [...] More

Sandy Schenker Capell Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
The Sandy Schenker Capell scholarship was created to honor Sandy and her commitment to mentoring and developing young talent. The scholarship will be awarded each year to a Houston area High School Senior interested in a career in media.

The scholarship will be managed and funds raised by the Media Alliance of Houston. The ideal candidate will represent the qualities that Sandy exuded in her [...] More

Savannah College of Art & Design Graduate Fellowships
Application Deadlines:
Graduate Fellowships may be awarded to applicants in any SCAD graduate program or geographic location who have been determined, through the admission process, to be exceptionally strong candidates for advanced study and scholarship. The number of fellowships awarded on an annual basis may vary according to the number of applicants and their qualifications. Students awarded a Graduate Fellowship [...] More

Study & Internship Program (SIP) in Germany - UAS7
Application Deadlines: February 15, Annually
Since 2006, the Study & Internship Program (SIP) has enabled highly qualified undergraduates from U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities to experience the German approach to hands-on education at a member of UAS7, a consortium of Germany's top universities of applied sciences. SIP students spend a semester studying at a UAS7 campus and a semester interning. Internships typically last 5-6 [...] More

The David Womack Memorial Fiber Arts Scholarship
Application Deadlines: June 30, Annually
The David Womack Memorial Fiber Arts Scholarship is available to any undergraduate student studying the fiber arts such as knitting or sewing and creating or using such materials in creative ways. The scholarship applies to attendance at any institute of higher learning in the United States. The scholarship is awarded in August for the upcoming school year. An essay and proof of college [...] More

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Academic Scholarship
Application Deadlines: February 01, Annually
College is expensive. The Jewish community through the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago can help. Educational scholarship funds from grants administered by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago are available for Jewish college and graduate students. Approximately $500,000 is available each year for full-time students, predominantly those legally domiciled in the metropolitan [...] More

The Kress Foundation History of Art Grants Program
Application Deadlines: November 30, Annually
The History of Art program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the appreciation and understanding of European art and architecture. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development, and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, museum exhibitions and publications, photographic campaigns, [...] More

The Kress Foundation History of Art Institutional Fellowships
Application Deadlines: November 30, Annually
Advanced training in European art history requires direct exposure to the object of study, prolonged access to key information resources such as libraries and photographic archives, the development of professional relationships with colleagues abroad, and sustained immersion in European cultures. These related needs are often best satisfied by extended engagement with a European art research [...] More

The Kress Foundation Interpretive Fellowships at Art Museums
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
Kress Interpretive Fellowships provide competitive grants to American art museums which sponsor supervised internships in art museum education. Preference is given to institutional applications that will provide fellows with an opportunity to collaborate closely with both art museum educators and curators, and will advance the appreciation of European art history of the pre-modern era.

A [...] More

The LAGRANT Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships
Application Deadlines: February 28, Annually
Scholarship recipients will receive a trip to Atlanta where they will participate in career building activities including a welcome dinner with a keynote speaker, two daylong career & professional development workshops and a scholarship & donor recognition reception.

Eligibility:
-Open to current freshmen, sophomores, juniors and non-graduating seniors only
-Must be a U.S. citizen or [...] More

UMW Mary Baker Emerick Art Scholarships
Application Deadlines: January 01, Annually
Provided by the University of Montana Western, the Mary Baker Emerick scholarship awards new, talented art major students on a competitive basis. The $2,000 scholarship is open to new students at UMW. Students can access the application online at the scholarship provider's website.

For more details and to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website. [...] More

University of South Alabama/Drama Assistantships/Scholarships
Application Deadlines:
The USA Dept. of Theatre & Dance offers a limited number of scholarships and assistantships, each with their own criteria and requirements. The Laidlaw Trust provides funds for both acting scholarships and tech/design shop assistantships.

To qualify, students must be a drama major, be a full-time student and maintain a 2.5 GPA. For further details and how to apply and audition, please visit [...] More

Valley Humanities Review High School Scholarship
Application Deadlines: December 15, Annually
The Valley Humanities Review is currently seeking essays in the humanities - including literature, film, art, history, religion, or philosophy - written by current high school students that demonstrate high quality, intellectual rigor and originality. The winner will receive a $500 prize and publication in the spring issue.

The goal with all our projects is to encourage a culture of [...] More

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Visual Arts and Art History Fellowships
Application Deadlines: November 04, Annually
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists and art, and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline and has awarded nearly $5.5 million to Virginia's artists since the program's creation over 75 years ago.
[...] More

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Visual Arts Fellowship
Application Deadlines: November 06, Annually
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline and, as such, has awarded more than $5 million in Fellowships to Virginians.

The Fellowship Program [...] More

Wendy Jackson Hall Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 01, Annually
The Wendy Jackson Hall Scholarship Fund has been established in Wendy's memory to support others whose creativity and love of the arts leads them to pursue an education in the visual arts and to share this love with the larger community.

To be eligible, an applicant must:
-be a graduating high school senior from a Washington State public high school
-demonstrate artistic talent in the visual [...] More

Zinggia Art Scholarship
Application Deadlines: March 05, Annually
The Zinggia Ohio Art Scholarship was started to help art students in Ohio further their education in the visual arts field. The Zinggia Ohio Art Scholarship is available yearly to a deserving Ohio high school student who wishes to pursue a career in illustration, graphic design, photography, or any art related program. The mission of the Zinggia Ohio Art Scholarship is to provide financial [...] More