Iowa Scholarship for the Arts
The Iowa Scholarship for the Arts supports the development of outstanding high school seniors who excel in the arts and are enrolled in accredited educational programs leading to careers in the arts.
Application Deadlines & Dates
Application Deadline: February 1st, annually.
The Iowa Arts Council must receive your application no later than 4:30 p.m. the day of the deadline listed above. This is NOT a postmark deadline. If the deadline falls on a state holiday or on a Saturday or Sunday, it will be extended to the next working day.
Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Scholarships are for college or university costs that will occur during the following academic year: 2011-2012
The Iowa Arts Council will notify finalists by March 8th. All finalists will be required to attend an interview at their own expense with an advisory panel in Des Moines on Saturday, March 26th, 2011. Finalist candidates unable to attend the interview shall be considered ineligible for the scholarship. Interviews will last approximately 20 minutes.
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Eligible Students
Applicants must meet all of the following in order to be eligible for this scholarship:
- You must be an Iowa resident who will graduate from an Iowa high school during the 2010-2011 school year
- You must show proven artistic ability in at least one of these arts areas: dance, literature, music, theatre, folk/traditional arts, and visual arts
- You must be accepted as a full-time undergraduate student at a fully-accredited Iowa college or university with a major in one or more of the areas listed above
Not Eligible: Iowa Arts Council board or staff, or a member of their immediate family or dependent children.
Scholarship Amounts
Scholarship recipients will receive $1,000 for undergraduate tuition and related expenses to attend an Iowa college or university.
Application Review, Approval & Notification Process
You must meet all of the following eligibility requirements in order to have your application accepted for review:
- The Iowa Arts Council must receive your complete application, including all attachments, by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the deadline. This is not a postmark deadline. Incomplete, illegible, handwritten, faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted.
- The following items must be included with the application:
- The following items must be emailed:
- one-page essay
- two letters of recommendation
- For performing artists only, 3 copies of Artistic Achievement CD or DVD
- For writers only, 3 copies of Artistic Achievement Literature Sample
- For visual artists only, Artistic Achievement PowerPoint
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of arts professionals, educators and members of the Iowa Arts Council board.
- The panel scores each applicant on the degree to which he/she meets specific review criteria.
- The IAC director makes final award decisions.
- IAC staff will not respond to questions until after the review and approval process is completed and applicants are notified by mail.
Review Criteria
Your application should reflect your sense of dedication to your chosen art discipline. Panelists will evaluate and score each application based on the following criteria as demonstrated in the written essay, artistic achievements, letters of recommendation and the interview:
- Proven artistic and academic abilities in the area of music, dance, literature, theatre, traditional arts, or visual arts.
- Well defined future goals and objectives relating to the intended field of study.
