Creative scholarships are merit based awards that tend to reward talents rather than grades. So, if you like to express your creativity, they can be a useful way to pay for college.
Many creative scholarships are for fine arts students with gifts in the visual arts. Visual arts majors are photography or design based arts like painting, graphic design or animation.
But you do not have to be a visual arts student to apply for a creative scholarship. Your artistic interests may lie in music, creative writing, dance, theater or film. It may be a hobby for you rather than your college major.
Either way, applying for a creative scholarship may be quick and simple. In fact, all you might need to do is upload a portfolio, project, photo, short video or essay.
What Creative Scholarships Can Students Apply for?
High school and college students may find many creative scholarships to show off their imagination. These types of awards are really fun to get your creative juices flowing in order to help pay for college.
Dixie Belle Paint Company Scholarship wants to help students succeed and graduate. To do this they offer a new award called the Creativity Leads to Success Scholarship. It is open to all high school, college and grad students who are also US citizens.
To apply, you fill out a quick form and write a 500 word essay that answers the question, “How does individual creativity lead to success?” There will be three winners. One grand prize of $2,500 and two prizes of $1,250 each.
Each year Arts for Life! awards $1,000 creative scholarships to 25 graduating high school seniors in Florida. Winners show their excellence in creative writing, dance, drama, music or visual art. Launched by former First Lady Columba Bush in 1999, the program has awarded scholarships to more than 500 gifted high school seniors.
To apply, you must submit a completed application, a brief essay explaining “How the arts have positively influenced my life” and a portfolio of work in one of five areas. Creative writing, dance, drama, music or visual art.
How a Creativity Scholarship Helps Pay for College?
Scholarships could cover the high costs of pursuing a college degree. Tuition, fees, housing, and other expenses may be paid for by a creative scholarship. Also, scholarships are a better alternative to a student loan.
According to the NCES, the average student loan amount for undergraduates was $7,200 for one academic year. Within the last decade, college tuition has increased by 19% on average. Public institutions tuition and fees went up by 18% compared to private nonprofit schools increased by 15%.
Since college is getting more expensive every year, you should start applying for creative scholarships today! Many creative scholarships tend to be renewable so it may help pay for college until you graduate. That means you might not have to pay out of pocket or borrow more student loans!
List of Creative Scholarships
To help you in your search, here is a list of creative scholarships to apply for. Follow the application guidelines, be mindful of deadlines and let your originality and creativity shine through!
To enter any contest, you must be a high school junior or senior between the ages of 14 and 20; or a full-time undergraduate college student between the ages of 15 and 25. If you are under 18, your parent or legal guardian must sign an eligibility form.
You have a story that deserves to be told and a voice that needs to be heard. We want to hear you, and we want to help you be heard by the world!
I Weigh is all about radical inclusivity and allyship, creating a community where no one feels alone. Our mission is to amplify, advocate, and pass the mic, while inspiring everyone around us to continue learning and growing as individuals, which in turn will result in growth collectively as a society.
“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” – William Faulkner
Getting the most out of life requires both the courage to explore the world, and the kindness and openness to welcome and accept all those you meet along the way.
One student or graduate who demonstrates a trailblazing spirit and passion for educational exploration will be awarded $2,000 to help them continue on their path to travel and learn.
This may include philanthropic work abroad, participation in science fairs, immersion in new languages, and anything else that demonstrates an eagerness to explore and learn!
When people from different backgrounds meet to share their cultures and learn from each other, beautiful things happen and the world becomes a better place.
One student who demonstrates an openness to learning about other cultures and sharing their own will receive $1,350 to help them continue on their path to travel and learn.
This may include studying new languages, traveling to study in a new place, teaching or learning art styles, musical instruments, or cooking methods from a different culture, or anything else that demonstrates openness to new cultures in your school, work, or hobbies.
Project Yellow Light is a scholarship competition designed to bring about change. People know distracted driving is dangerous, but they do it anyway. As an applicant you have one clear mission: create a PSA to encourage your friends to avoid distracted driving, specifically using your phone while driving. Whether it’s sending a text, commenting on a photo, or messaging your friends in your favorite app, it’s never ok to message while driving.
Adobe, through the IIE offers the Design Circle Scholarship to support diversity. Each year, they will award 10 annual college scholarships of up to $25,000 per year for up to four years or $100,000 of undergraduate study. Click to learn more and apply today!
The annual Adobe Creativity Scholarships program provide college or university education tuition for up to U.S. $25,000.00 per academic year for required tuition and fees to young people pursuing study in a creative field and using creativity as a force for positive social impact.
