If you are a student interested in art, scholarships can be a worthwhile way to explore the field in great detail and unlock your creative potential. Pursuing your artistic passions during high school offers a unique opportunity to refine your skills, develop a strong portfolio, and gain valuable experience that will set you apart for college applications and future careers. You will find that engaging with art scholarships is not merely about securing financial aid; it’s about gaining access to specialized training, mentorship, and recognition that can significantly accelerate your artistic growth. These programs allow you to immerse yourself in various art forms, from traditional painting and sculpture to digital media and graphic design, all under the guidance of experienced professionals.
What can you gain from art scholarships?
As a participant in these art scholarship programs, you will hone your technical abilities through hands-on workshops and studio practice, developing mastery of your chosen medium. You will participate in critical feedback sessions in which you learn to articulate your artistic vision and to critique your peers’ work constructively, fostering intellectual growth alongside creative development. Furthermore, many scholarships connect you with a network of fellow young artists and established professionals, opening doors to collaborations and future opportunities. You will also gain practical experience in presenting your work, whether through exhibitions, portfolio reviews, or public displays, preparing you for the demands of the professional art world. The skills you acquire- problem-solving, creative thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication- are highly transferable and beneficial for any career path you choose.
Being able to access such opportunities nationwide is incredibly advantageous, as it exposes you to a diverse range of artistic perspectives, institutions, and communities across the United States. Whether you’re in a bustling metropolis like Los Angeles with its vibrant arts scene or in a more secluded program focused on natural landscapes, you gain exposure to diverse artistic philosophies and educational approaches. This broad geographic access means you are not limited by local offerings but can seek out the program that best fits your specific artistic interests and goals. These programs often select students based on artistic merit, academic achievement, and demonstrated passion for their craft, so showing your dedication in your application is crucial.
Key Takeaways
- Art scholarships for high school students reward a wide range of disciplines, from traditional painting and sculpture to digital media, graphic design, duct tape fashion, and public safety messaging
- Several competitions on this list are free to enter and open to students nationwide, including Doodle for Google, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and Project Yellow Light, making them accessible regardless of geographic location or financial background
- Scholarships vary widely in focus, with some rewarding fine art excellence through portfolio review, others connecting artistic expression to social causes like environmental stewardship and road safety, and others celebrating unconventional creative problem-solving
- Programs specifically designed for underrepresented students, including the CBC Spouses Essay Contest Scholarships for African American and Black students and the Urban Arts College Access Program for students from underrepresented communities, provide targeted pathways to arts funding and college preparation
- For students interested in studying the arts, media, or creativity from a research perspective, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs offers a mentored path toward producing an independent academic paper in cultural studies, art history, or a related humanities field
15 Art Scholarships for High School Students
1. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Location: National (submissions accepted from across the United States)
Cost/Stipend: Scholarships up to $12,500
Dates: Submissions typically accepted throughout the fall and winter
Application Deadline: Typically January
Eligibility: Middle and high school students
This prestigious competition allows you to submit original artwork across numerous visual arts and literary categories, showcasing your unique talents. Your submissions will be evaluated by professional artists and writers who assess your technical skill, creativity, and originality and provide you with invaluable feedback. You have the option to submit individual pieces or develop a comprehensive portfolio of six works for consideration, which could make you eligible for significant scholarship awards. Beyond the financial recognition, winning a Scholastic award can provide you with national visibility and opportunities to have your work featured in exhibitions and publications. This program helps you build a strong foundation for your artistic career by challenging you to create your best work and gain professional acknowledgment. You will compete first at a regional level before potentially advancing to national recognition.
2. YoungArts National Arts Competition
Location: Miami, Florida (for National YoungArts Week; application accepts submissions from anywhere in the United States)
Cost/Stipend: Paid competition; winners receive cash prizes between $250 and $50,000
Dates: National YoungArts Week is typically held in January
Application Deadline: Applications open in the summer; typically close between December and January
Eligibility: Ages 15-18
The YoungArts National Arts Competition offers you a comprehensive platform to showcase your talents across ten artistic disciplines, including visual arts, photography, design arts, and film. If you become an award winner, you will receive cash prizes and gain unparalleled opportunities for mentorship from accomplished professional artists in your field. As a finalist, you’ll be invited to National YoungArts Week, an all-expense-paid intensive program in Miami, where you can connect with peers, participate in masterclasses, and collaborate directly with mentors. The organization is committed to supporting your long-term artistic journey, offering additional grants, microgrants, and career development resources. Exceptional awardees may even be nominated as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, a prestigious honor that will elevate your artistic profile significantly.
3. Doodle for Google
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None (free competition; winners receive scholarships up to $45,000 college scholarship + a $50,000 technology grant for school)
Dates: Typically announced in fall; submissions accepted through December
Application Deadline: Typically December (specific date varies yearly)
Eligibility: K-12 students
Doodle for Google challenges you to create an original Google Doodle based on an annual theme, encouraging you to blend your artistic skill with a relevant concept. Your artwork will be meticulously evaluated for its artistic merit, creativity, and the effectiveness with which you communicate the assigned theme through your visual imagery. The national winner receives a generous $45,000 college scholarship, alongside a $50,000 technology grant for their school, providing resources that benefit your entire creative community. Even if you’re a national finalist, you’ll still earn a $10,000 scholarship and Google hardware, ensuring your talent is widely recognized. The ultimate reward is seeing your winning artwork displayed on Google’s homepage for a day, offering unparalleled global visibility for your creative work. This competition is entirely free to enter, making it accessible to aspiring artists regardless of their financial background.
4. NSHSS Visual Arts Scholarship
Location: National (NSHSS membership-based)
Cost/Stipend: Award ranges vary from $500 to $10,000
Dates: Varies based on the scholarship
Application Deadline: varies based on the scholarship
Eligibility: NSHSS members; high school and college students
The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) offers you specialized scholarships designed for members pursuing the visual arts, with distinct awards for photography and another for painting, drawing, mixed media, or digital art. In each category, multiple awards of $2,000 are distributed to high school students who demonstrate exceptional artistic excellence. To be eligible, you must be an NSHSS member, graduating within specific years, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5, ensuring recognition of both your artistic talent and academic commitment. Your application will require you to submit original artwork in a digital format, accompanied by an educator’s recommendation, an academic resume, your current transcript, and a detailed title and description of your submission. You can apply for both categories if you wish, though you can only win one NSHSS scholarship per academic year, ensuring a fair distribution of opportunities.
5. CBC Spouses Essay Contest Scholarships
Location: National (U.S. citizens or legal residents only)
Cost/Stipend: $5,000 award
Dates: The award cycle typically spans several months
Application Deadline: March 27
Eligibility: African-American and Black junior and senior high school students
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) provides you with an incredible opportunity through the CBC Spouses Essay Competition Scholarships, an award for African American and Black students dedicated to pursuing visual arts degrees. This program underscores the critical importance of diversity in the arts and actively creates avenues for underrepresented artists to access vital higher-education funding. Each year, qualified African-American and Black high school students participate in the Essay Contest and Issue Forum. Students are presented with a single topic that captures some of our communities’ most urgent issues and are asked to write an essay to defend their research, analysis, and opinion. Submissions are judged by a committee composed of CBC Spouses.
6. Arts for Life!
Location: Florida
Cost/Stipend: $2,000 per award
Dates: Application period typically spans several months
Application Deadline: To be announced later this year
Eligibility: High school seniors in Florida
Arts for Life! annually bestows $1,000 scholarships upon twenty-five graduating high school seniors in Florida who demonstrate exceptional excellence in creative writing, dance, drama, music, or visual art. This esteemed program, initiated by former First Lady Columba Bush in 1999, has proudly awarded scholarships to over 575 gifted high school seniors since its inception. This long-running program showcases a sustained commitment to supporting emerging artists across a diverse range of artistic disciplines within the state of Florida. To be eligible for this valuable scholarship, you must be a Florida resident and a graduating high school senior, ready to pursue your artistic passions at a higher level. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain recognition and financial support for your artistic dedication.
7. Stuck at Prom Scholarship
Location: National
Cost/Stipend: $1,000 to $15,000, depending on placement
Dates: The competition period is typically several months
Application Deadline: Varies by year (typically around prom season—spring deadline)
Eligibility: High school students; create a tuxedo or dress design from duct tape; submit completed garment and design documentation
The Stuck at Prom Scholarship awards prizes ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 to high school students who unleash their creativity by submitting tuxedo or dress designs crafted entirely from duct tape. This program celebrates creative problem-solving and highly unconventional artistic expression, recognizing that groundbreaking innovation can often emerge from working with unexpected and everyday materials. Your submission will require you to present a fully completed duct tape garment, along with comprehensive documentation of your imaginative design process. This scholarship truly stands out for its celebration of playful creativity and remarkable resourcefulness, challenging you to push the boundaries of traditional fashion and art.
8. Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest
Location: National
Cost/Stipend: $10,000 total award pool
Dates: Application period typically lasts several months
Application Deadline: Varies by year (typically mid-year deadline)
Eligibility: High school and college students
The Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest invites you, as a high school or college student, to submit your original greeting card designs to compete for a share of $10,000 in total awards. This competition celebrates the practical application of artistic skills, acknowledging that commercial art and design are legitimate and rewarding career paths for visual artists. Your submission should showcase both your artistic talent and its commercial viability, considering how your design would function in retail or personal use contexts. The application process is straightforward, generally requiring you to submit your original design artwork along with basic application information. This scholarship is distinctive for its focus on applied design rather than solely fine art, making it particularly appealing if you are interested in careers in graphic design, illustration, and commercial art. It’s an excellent way to see your art have a practical impact.
9. Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest
Location: National
Cost/Stipend: Total awards $37,000
Dates: Submission period is typically several months
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12
The Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest provides a platform for high school students in grades nine through twelve to submit two-dimensional artwork that thoughtfully explores themes of patriotism and American identity. This competition recognizes that artistic expression can beautifully encompass diverse interpretations of national themes, encouraging you to creatively explore what patriotism means in contemporary society. Award amounts fluctuate based on the number and categories of winners selected in each competition cycle, giving you multiple chances to be recognized. Submission requirements typically include completed two-dimensional artwork in formats such as painting, drawing, photography, or printmaking, allowing you flexibility in your chosen medium. This program offers an opportunity to participate in meaningful artistic discourse while potentially earning valuable scholarship funding to further your education.
10. Science Without Borders Challenge
Location: National/International (open to students worldwide within specified age ranges)
Cost/Stipend: Awards vary: $200 to $500, depending on category
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Submission period is typically several months
Application Deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Ages 15-19 (Division 1) or ages 11-14 (Division 2)
The Science Without Borders Challenge invites you, as a student aged fifteen to nineteen (with a separate division for ages eleven to fourteen), to create original two-dimensional artwork that powerfully responds to environmental and scientific themes. Your submission should include your original drawing, painting, or other two-dimensional artwork, accompanied by a concise description explaining how your work relates to the challenge’s specific theme. Application materials typically consist of your artwork, a thoughtful artist statement, and your teacher’s contact information. This distinctive program elegantly bridges artistic and scientific thinking, actively encouraging you to develop creative responses to pressing environmental questions and global scientific issues. It’s an excellent opportunity for you to use your artistic skills to raise awareness about critical scientific topics.
11. Urban Arts College Access Scholarships
Location: National
Cost/Stipend: $350
Dates: Application and submission period typically span several months
Application Deadline: December 31
Eligibility: High school students age 15 or older
The Urban Arts College Access Program provides you with professional guidance to navigate the complex transition from high school to a degree in digital media or technology. By joining this initiative, you receive one-on-one assistance with your college applications, personal statements, and the development of a technical portfolio that highlights your creative skills. You will gain access to a curated database of over 250 scholarships and receive expert help completing financial aid forms to minimize potential student debt. The program includes the SeniorXP Fellowship, which allows you to visit campuses and participate in immersive summer workshops focused on post-secondary preparation. You also have the opportunity to network with industry professionals from major tech companies, building a foundation for your future career while still in high school. Because this is a free resource specifically for students in underrepresented communities, it ensures you have the same high-level admissions support as those in private institutions.
12. Project Yellow Light
Location: National
Cost/Stipend: $2,000 to $8,000
Dates: Application periods typically align with multiple submission windows
Application Deadline: Competition opens October 31
Eligibility: High school and college students
Project Yellow Light invites you, as a high school or college student, to use your artistic talents to address critical themes of distracted driving and road safety, with awards ranging from $2,000 to $8,000. This innovative program effectively blends artistic expression with vital public health messaging, empowering you to use your creative work to communicate important safety messages to your peers and the broader community. Your submissions will be evaluated on both their artistic quality and their effectiveness in clearly communicating the safety theme. A unique and impactful benefit of this competition is the potential for your winning artwork to be displayed on billboards across the United States, providing significant public visibility for your message and your artistry. Application requirements and submission formats may vary slightly depending on the specific competition cycle, so you’ll want to check their site.
13. NSHSS Earth Day Awards
Location: National (NSHSS members or eligible students)
Cost/Stipend: $500 (10 awards)
Dates: Award cycle is typically annual
Application Deadline: April 3
Eligibility: Grades 9-12
The NSHSS Earth Day Awards recognize your artistic achievements while simultaneously highlighting themes of environmental consciousness and sustainability. This program encourages you, as a student in grades nine through twelve, to submit materials that showcase both your artistic excellence and your commitment to environmental causes. You could receive an award of $500 for your efforts. To qualify, you’ll need to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, submit an academic resume, provide a recommendation letter, and include supporting artistic materials such as a video, painting, drawing, or collage. An essay and a headshot are also required as part of your application. This award uniquely combines the recognition of your artistic talent with your dedication to environmental stewardship and activism, allowing you to use your art for a cause.
14. AGL Over the Rainbow Foundation
Location: National
Cost/Stipend: $1,000
Dates: Award cycle is typically annual
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school seniors heading to college
The AGL Over the Rainbow Foundation offers you an annual $1,000 scholarship, specifically targeting twelfth-grade students who are passionately pursuing fine arts and planning to continue their education at the college level. This scholarship is designed to support fine art students like you who consistently demonstrate exceptional talent and a strong commitment to your artistic practice. The application process requires you to submit three recommendation letters from your teachers, a detailed resume highlighting your musical, theatrical, art, or chorus background, and a short video showcasing your work. You will also need to provide a copy of your acceptance letter from your intended college or a list of the institutions to which you have applied. This thorough application ensures that the scholarship recognizes your complete artistic journey and college aspirations.
15. Betty Harlan Memorial Art Scholarship
Location: National (geographic specifics may apply)
Cost/Stipend: Varies
Dates: Application period typically lasts several months
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: A graduating senior from high school
The Betty Harlan Memorial Art Scholarship provides valuable financial resources to students like you who are pursuing degrees in visual arts, with award amounts varying each year based on available funding. This memorial scholarship stands as a tribute to artistic commitment, offering substantive financial support to emerging artists. Your application for this scholarship will require you to submit an essay responding to a specific prompt: “Considering the background and criteria of this scholarship, why are you the best candidate? Discuss your involvement in organizations and activities that focus on the visual arts.” This scholarship places a strong emphasis on your demonstrated commitment to the visual arts, as evidenced by your active involvement and leadership within relevant organizations and activities, showcasing your dedication beyond just your artwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are art scholarships for high school students?
Art scholarships for high school students are competitive awards that recognize artistic talent and provide funding for future education. They span disciplines including visual arts, photography, digital design, creative writing, film, and more. Beyond financial support, many also offer mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and professional recognition that can accelerate your development as an artist.
How do I apply for art scholarships as a high school student?
Application requirements vary by program but typically include submitting original artwork, an artist statement or essay, recommendation letters, and an academic transcript. Some programs, like Scholastic and YoungArts, accept digital submissions online, while others require documentation of your creative process alongside the final work. Checking each competition’s specific submission guidelines well before the deadline is essential.
Are there art scholarships specifically for underrepresented students?
Yes. The CBC Spouses Essay Contest Scholarships are specifically for African American and Black high school students pursuing visual arts degrees. The Urban Arts College Access Program is designed for students from underrepresented communities and provides one-on-one college application support, portfolio development, and access to over 250 additional scholarship opportunities at no cost.
Do art scholarships only cover fine arts, or do they include digital and commercial art?
Both are well represented. Programs like the Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship and Urban Arts College Access Program specifically target digital media, graphic design, and commercial art. NSHSS offers distinct categories for photography and digital art alongside traditional painting and drawing, and the Doodle for Google competition is built entirely around digital design.
Which art scholarships connect artistic work to social causes or science?
Project Yellow Light rewards artwork addressing distracted driving and road safety, with winning pieces displayed on billboards across the United States. The Science Without Borders Challenge invites you to respond to environmental and scientific themes through original two-dimensional artwork. The NSHSS Earth Day Awards recognize artistic work alongside demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship.
Is there a way to engage with art and creativity through independent research rather than a competition?
Yes. If you’re interested in studying the arts, media, or cultural production from an analytical angle rather than a competitive one, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs pairs you with a professor or PhD scholar to develop a 20-page academic paper in fields like cultural studies, art history, media studies, or a related humanities discipline. You can find the application here.
When should I start applying for art scholarships?
Several competitions open submissions in the fall with deadlines between December and March, including Scholastic, YoungArts, and Doodle for Google. Others like Project Yellow Light open in late October for spring submission windows. Betty Harlan Memorial Art Scholarship closes February 1, and the CBC Spouses Essay Contest Scholarships close March 27. Reviewing deadlines in early fall and building or refining your portfolio over the summer gives you the strongest foundation going into application season.
Image source: Horizon Academic Research Program