Art school is expensive and financial prospects for those who receive art degrees are not always certain.  For budding artists at any level of education, art scholarships can make a huge difference, as can gaining exposure for your works of art.

This week’s Scholarship of the Week, the MyArtSpace Art Scholarship Competition, gives art school students at both the undergraduate and graduate level the chance to earn up to $5,000 in scholarship money.  Students compile an online portfolio, complete with artist’s statement and CV, and post it to MyArtSpace for judging.  Winning entries will exhibit artistic excellence in a visual arts medium, contemporary or traditional, including photography and video.

Prize:

Undergraduate and graduate entries will be judged separately, with the following awards for each:

• First prize: $5,000
• Second prize: $2,000
• Third prize: $1,000

Eligibility:

Current or prospective undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a BFA, MFA, or other approved degree program in an accredited art school.  Applicants can enter either the undergraduate or graduate category of judging, but not both.

Deadline:

December 16, 2009

Required Material:

Completed online registration and high-resolution samples of work.  To enter, artsists create a free portfolio on MyArtSpace.com or NYAXE.com and upload up to 20 images.  Including an artist statement and a CV or résumé is also encouraged.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: art scholarship, graduate student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Nov 09 2009

Often, scholarship opportunities also serve as opportunities for students to think about and respond to pressing issues of the day, and one of the problems weighing most heavily on society in the last year has been the global economic crisis.  While the recession has begun showing signs of abating, it is still creating serious problems in several areas of life, ranging from paying for school to owning a home.

Homeowners have been facing threats of foreclosure due to a combination of factors related to the recession, and this problem could still get worse before it gets better.  The real estate website Foreclosure.com is sponsoring a scholarship essay contest that invites college students to propose solutions to the ongoing spike in foreclosures.  With a $5,000 top prize for the scholarship essay that best explains “how to solve the foreclosure crisis,” the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program is this week’s Scholarship of the Week.

Prize:

Top prize: $5,000

Four runners-up: $1,000

Eligibility:

Students who are currently enrolled in or have been accepted to an accredited college, university, law school or trade school in the United States.  U.S. citizenship is required.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: college scholarships, essay scholarship, graduate student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships, writing scholarship

Comments (0) Sep 14 2009

Photography is a fun hobby, but can be a difficult profession to break into.  Whether you’re going for studio photography or professional photojournalism, much of your success depends on building a portfolio and gaining exposure for your work.

Amateur photographers who are interested in receiving not only a college scholarship, but also industry recognition and professional internship experience, should be sure to check out this week’s Scholarship of the Week, the College Photographer of the Year contest.

In addition to scholarship money, the student with the best portfolio will also receive the opportunity to intern with National Geographic, a potentially career-launching award.  Winners in individual categories are also awarded equipment and educational opportunities from Nikon, the Poynter Institute, and the Missouri Photo Workshop.  With sponsors including National Geographic, Nikon, and the National Press Photographers Foundation, entering the College Photographer of the Year competition will help you gain exposure in the photography and photojournalism industries, and you may get some cash out of the deal, as well.

Prize:

First prize: $1,000

Second prize: $500

Eligibility:

Posted: under Graduate School, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: art scholarship, college scholarships, graduate student scholarships, photography scholarship, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Aug 24 2009

Over the course of the last year, a number of colleges and universities have begun to offer scholarship opportunities for people who have found themselves out of work and in need of further education or job training.  Yesterday, U.S. News profiled several newer community college programs, including several full-tuition scholarships, but even more awards are out there.  Here’s a run-down of some of the scholarships for displaced workers that we’ve found.

Community College Scholarships

Scholarships for recently unemployed students offered by community colleges are the most common.  Colleges in several states are offering free tuition for one to two semesters, or even more, for displaced workers.  Some, such as Oakton Community College in Illinois and the Community College of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania stipulate certain degree or certificate programs for their tuition benefits, and others, like several community colleges in New Jersey, will allow students to enroll in any course with empty seats.  Others are offering partial tuition discounts, such as Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Minnesota.

Michigan has launched a state-wide No Worker Left Behind program, which provides up to two years of free tuition for unemployed and underemployed workers at state community colleges.  Students can also apply the credits towards an undergraduate degree at a state college or university.  To qualify, students must be pursuing degrees that will lead to employment in high-demand occupations.

Undergraduate Scholarships

This summer, DeVry began offering scholarships to students who have enrolled at one of the seven schools owned by DeVry and who have lost their jobs in the last 12 months.  As one example, the Employment Gap Scholarship gives students $1,000 per semester towards their tuition at DeVry.

Many other four-year schools have also launched generous aid programs, or even offered full-tuition scholarships, for new and returning students who are facing economic difficulties.  A number of these scholarships and grants may be available to displaced workers, especially if you now qualify for a Federal Pell Grant after losing your job.

Scholarships for adult students are also worth looking into. While only a few are specifically for the recently unemployed, several are designed to generously aid adults who are enrolling in undergraduate programs.

Graduate Scholarships

In addition to offering free career center services, several universities are also aiding their alumni through tuition discounts on graduate programs and additional certification and training.  Manchester College in Indiana will allow students who fail to find a job or a graduate program within six months of graduation a year of free coursework.  Similarly, St. John’s University in New York allows laid off alumni to attend its graduate programs for half price.

Government Benefits

Recently, the Obama administration began a national push for states to grant full unemployment benefits to recipients who choose to enroll in a college degree program, as incentive for unemployed workers to attend college.  Additionally, financial aid adminstrators have been instructed to use greater lattitude in dealing with financial aid appeals from students who have lost their jobs, which could result in more federal grant money for returning students.

Posted: under College News, College and the Economy, Financial Aid, Scholarships.
Tags: College and the Economy, College Costs, College Grants, college news, college scholarships, community college, Financial Aid, full-tuition scholarships, graduate student scholarships, local scholarships, need-based, returning students, Scholarship Search, Scholarships, Tips

Comments (0) Aug 20 2009

This week’s Scholarship of the Week is a scholarship essay contest that offers a $10,000 reward to students who are actively engaged in fighting poverty.  The In The River They Swim essay competition asks participants to reflect upon an experience living or working in a poor country or a poor region of a developed nation and tell a story about a personal journey they’ve had doing enterprise solutions to poverty.

What makes this competition unique is that it asks for students to go beyond the traditional response elicited by community service scholarships and other essay scholarships and to reflect on both successes and failures, as well as people encountered and lessons learned along the way.  Rather than simply recounting experiences in a matter-of-fact way, a winning essay will tell a story in an engaging and illuminating manner.  Most importantly, the essay should teach the reader something, and presents an opportunity to think both critically and creatively about your work, your attitudes, and your assumptions for a chance at a substantial cash prize and possible publication.

Prize:

$10,000

Eligibility:

Anyone is eligible to participate, regardless of age, level of education, or area of study.

Posted: under Graduate School, High School, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: college scholarships, community service scholarships, essay scholarship, graduate student scholarships, high school student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, undergraduate scholarships, writing scholarship

Comments (0) Jul 27 2009

Are you an graphic designer and t-shirt aficionado?  Do you dream of one day having people across the world wearing something you created?  Maybe you just really liked the screenprinting unit in high school art class.  If you’ve ever seen someone wearing a cool t-shirt and thought to yourself, “I could make something like that,” this week’s Scholarship of the Week is for you.

The Threadless Scholarship gives college students a chance to not only see their t-shirt designs printed and distributed internationally, but to also win a $3,000 design scholarship.  The best part?  Winners are chosen weekly, so you have multiple chances at winning scholarships.

Prize:

A $3,000 college scholarship plus a $500 Threadless gift certificate (or $200 in cash) and the chance to compete for other cash awards of up to $20,000.

Eligibility:

Any undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled at least part-time or pending enrollment in a college or university.  This scholarship contest is open to students in the United States and other countries, regardless of major, GPA, or test scores.

Posted: under Graduate School, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: art scholarship, college scholarships, Corporate Scholarships, design scholarship, graduate student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Jul 20 2009

International relations and national security remain hot topics in American politics, so it’s no surprise that scholarship opportunities exist to foster new thinking and innovative ideas in such fields.  Students interested in issues of national security, counterintelligence, and international affairs are invited to apply for this week’s Scholarship of the Week, the Jim and Anna Hyonjoo Lint National Security Scholarship.  This scholarship essay contest awards $1,000 to the student who writes the best original essay addressing an issue of importance to national security and related fields.  In addition to the scholarship prize, winners will also see their essays published by the Lint Center.

Prize:

$1,000

Eligibility:

Applicants must be admitted to a university and must plan to enroll as undergraduate students or graduate students in the fall semester.  The scholarship is open to students of any major who show an interest in national security, counterintelligence, or international affairs.

Posted: under Graduate School, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: college scholarships, essay scholarship, graduate student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Jun 22 2009

There are scholarship opportunities out there for every talent, interest or skill.  Through this week’s Scholarship of the Week, the Calm-A-Sutra of Tea Scholarship Competition, you can win a $15,000 college scholarship just for demonstrating your knowledge of tea and your ability to drink it creatively.  Students are asked to create a 1 to 2 minute video of themselves drinking black, green, white or oolong tea while describing the health benefits of tea and to upload the video to YouTube.  Entries are judged on their health-related messges, creativity, individuality and popularity.  No scholarship essays required!

Prize:

$15,000

Eligibility:

College and high school students age 16 and older who are legal residents of the United States and Puerto Rico.

Posted: under Graduate School, High School, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: college scholarships, graduate student scholarships, high school student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships, video scholarships

Comments (0) Jun 15 2009

Current college students who are passionate about confronting global climate change have a chance to win up to $9,000 to help pay for school through this week’s Scholarship of the Week.  The Blade Your Ride Scholarship Program will award scholarships of $3,000 to $9,000 to three students who create the best short video webcasts addressing the issue of global climate change and the potential for small changes to make a significant difference.  Sabertec, the sponsoring company, feels strongly about this issue, and encourages students to explore the potential of their product, Blade, as part of their video webcasts.

Prize:

Three finalists will receive $3,000 scholarships and one grand prize winner will receive an additional $6,000 scholarship, for a total award of $9,000.

Eligibility:

Undergraduate students or graduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program at an accredited college or university in the United States. U.S. citizenship is not required.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: college scholarships, graduate student scholarships, green scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships, video scholarships

Comments (0) Jun 08 2009

As we mentioned yesterday, the 2008-2009 school year is winding down, and people are preparing to flip over to a new academic calendar and a new college application cycle.  However, that doesn’t mean that students still seeking admission or financial aid for 2009-2010 are completely out of luck.  There are still colleges and scholarships accepting applications right now.  In fact, there are some substantial scholarship awards that you can still win this summer, and to prove it, we’re listing a few of them below.  To learn more about these awards and others with upcoming deadlines, you can do a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com.

HANDS Essay Contest

Hands Along the Nile is accepting applications until July 4 for its $5,000 scholarship essay contest. To apply, students are asked to compose an essay of no more than 2,500 words in response to the question, “How is community development in the Middle East important to the U.S.? Why is it particularly crucial to focus on Egypt?” This scholarship is open to high school seniors and full-time undergraduate and graduate students at colleges in the United States.

Blade Your Ride Scholarship Program

Through June 30, current undergraduate and graduate students who are passionate about the environment are invited to create a video webcast for a chance to win up to $9,000 towards their college education.  Videos should focus on the global climate crisis and creativity is encouraged.  Applicants must maintain a 3.0 GPA and must be attending college in the United States, but citizenship is not required.

SPENDonLIFE Credit Challenged Scholarship

High school and college students who have been declined for student loans due to the credit crunch have until June 15 to apply for a scholarship of up to $5,000 to help cover their college costs.  To apply, students are asked to write a 500-word essay describing the impact of the economic downturn on their lives. This contest is open to U.S. residents between the ages of 17 and 25.

The Calm-a-Sutra of Tea $15,000 Scholarship Competition

The Tea Council of the USA is looking for videos about the health benefits of tea, and you have until August 2 to create one.  Applicants ages 16 and older who are legal residents of the United States or Puerto Rico are invited to upload a video about tea to YouTube, then share the link with the Tea Council.  One winner will receive a $15,000 college scholarship.

Scholarships.com College Scholarships

Scholarships.com is also accepting applications for three of our scholarship awards.  For a chance to win $1,000, you can apply for the Resolve to Evolve Essay contest, the College Culinary Arts Scholarship, or the College Design Scholarship.  Other Scholarships.com college scholarships are available throughout the year, as well.

Posted: under Financial Aid, Graduate School, High School, Scholarships, Tips.
Tags: applications, Area of Study Scholarships, college scholarships, essay scholarship, Financial Aid, graduate student scholarships, Scholarship Search, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Jun 05 2009