The arts, whether graphic design, animation, dance, acting or painting, are highly competitive fields that challenge students’ creativity and personal drive. Art education, due to supplies and computer lab fees can often be quite expensive, an investment that may or may not be immediately recouped after graduation. Students can help to cover some of these costs through generous scholarship programs and monetary awards.

Any student studying the arts can apply for an art scholarship. This includes everything from sculpture to film, and students may find that there are a variety of scholarship awards that suit their specific needs and goals and will give them a chance to get a leg up in the field. Art scholarships can often work a bit differently from other scholarships which tend to be based more heavily on grades and academic performance. While there are some awards that stick to more traditional evaluative criteria, students will find that there are a large number of awards that will encourage their creativity and will have them compete for awards through submitting films, artwork, writing and other artistic works and are awarded on the basis of talent.

These awards are given out by a wide range of art schools, organizations and private foundations. A great majority of the awards are offered through universities and alumni programs, and can award students who have stood out among their classmates in a particular program. Students should also note that most scholarships are medium specific, meaning they are given only to students working towards a particular major be it photography, sculpture or theater. For example, the National Sculpture Society and the Printing and Imaging Association of MidAmerica give out scholarships to sculpture and graphic design students respectively.

Students both at the undergraduate and graduate levels should be able to find scholarship programs to suit their needs and professional goals through both their hard work in school and their unique artistic talents as artists, designers and performers.

Art Scholarships

• National Sculpture Society Scholarship: $1,000 goes to 1-6 undergraduate and graduate students majoring in sculpture.
• PIA MidAmerica Prints and Graphics Scholarship: Varied amounts go to 137 students studying printing or graphic arts.
• L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future: Up to $4,000 to 12 amateur artists.
• WorldStudio AIGA Scholarships: Varying amounts to 10 undergraduate or graduate students in fine art, graphic design or architecture.
• Academy of Motion Pictures Student Academy Awards: $2,000 to $5,000 awarded to 3-12 undergraduate or graduate students majoring in film or a related field.
• Donna Reed Performing Arts Scholarship: $200 to $1,000 awarded yearly to 6 undergraduate students majoring in the performing arts.
• Film and Fiction Scholarship: $3,000 to $10,000 awarded to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in art, film or writing.
• John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship: $5,000 to undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a traditional arts program.
• National Art Honor Society Scholarship: $2,000 to $20,000 awarded annually to 5 undergraduate students majoring in the arts.
• Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards: $500 to $2,000 goes to 25 undergraduate or graduate students majoring in fine or performing arts or related fields.