Application & Financial Aid Worksheet:

• Read everything carefully! Some parts of the application are completed online; others must be mailed to the Foundation office. Follow all the instructions. Make sure your application is 100% complete.
• The process of completing the Financial Aid Worksheet changed in 2018 – due to changes in the privacy laws, school officials can no longer provide information to the Foundation. Now, each applicant will complete their own form. The information requested on the Financial Aid Worksheet can be found on your award letter (if awarded), and/or on your FAFSA, and/or by asking a financial aid officer at your school to help you. Once complete, upload this form into your online application.
• Get your application in early. Don’t wait until the last minute!!
• If your discipline is not listed on this application, we do not cover your area of expertise at this time.

Essay:

• Be creative!!! This is a large percentage of your overall score!!  
• Be sure to answer all three essay questions completely. The judges should not have to decipher the answers. Answers should be obvious to anyone.
• Visually creative essays will receive the highest scores; black text on white paper will receive the lowest score.
  
• Upload videos/digital submissions; mail all others.
• If you mail in your essay, make sure your name is clearly marked on it so we can match it with your application.

Portfolio: 

• Submit work showing only the discipline you want to go into. For example, if you are a photographer, submit photography, not paintings.  If you are a graphic designer, submit graphic design, not illustration, etc. Animation applicants - we want to see that you are thinking about animation as a career choice, pencil tests, flip books, etc. [Note: Leniency given to current High School students]
  
• Reproductions of masters’ paintings or other artists’ work should not be submitted, as this is not the applicant’s original idea or works.  It is plagiarism.
• Do not send more than eight examples of artwork – your work will not be judged. 
• Photograph your artwork well- watch for shadows, hair hanging in photo, strange angles, blur etc. Natural light is best.
• Do not send titles or explanations of your artwork – visual art should speak for itself!!

• Phone calls with legitimate questions are appreciated.
• No reference letters should be included with your application. The top candidates will be selected and invited for a personal interview. References may be requested at that time.

Questions applicants should consider when applying:

Am I meeting the requirements asked for in this application?

This may seem simple, but you would be surprised by the number of applications and portfolios we receive that do not follow the directions laid out in the application instructions. This is a multi-step application – some task are done electronically; other tasks require items to be mailed to our office – make sure you read everything carefully and complete ALL of the requirements by the deadline. Send the correct number of images: too few pieces of artwork isn’t enough for judges to see the scope of your work. Conversely, sending too many pieces of work indicates a lack of ability to edit your work. Before hitting the ‘submit’ button, review your application for completeness and accuracy.

What does my work say about me?

Your submission is your chance to tell your story – we want to see artwork that reflects who you are as a person and an artist, where you want to go, what you’ve been doing, what you have to say. Aside from your essay, your artwork is your chance use your skill and creativity to address these questions in a visual way. Show us that you are willing to take some risks and go beyond the ordinary. Let the inner artist shine!