In 2020, the NAACP Hollywood Bureau and Society Awards partnered to offer the first-ever NAACP x Society Awards Scholarship. Society Awards understands the importance and value of the arts and design community. Good design is a powerful tool and a strong competitive advantage. We launched this scholarship to encourage and support commercial art education in the United States. There is an incredible market need for talented artists to blend fine art, marketing and aesthetics.
We received an incredibly talented group of applicants last year, and we are looking forward to this year’s entrants. Design is intrinsic to everything we do. Society Awards creates artful sculpture that functions as impressive recognition awards. When Society Awards launched in 2007, we applied the principles of fine art to the awards industry. This was an entirely new concept and is an important factor in our growth and place as the industry leader. There is an incredible need for talented artists and designers. Not only do they make our world more beautiful, but they also have the power to make meaningful societal change through the universal language of art.
We want to empower young adults to learn and grow in their artistic endeavors. These artists in training deserve support so that their vision may further beautify our world and our daily lives. When we focus on beautifying our environments, we elevate the human experience, and bring purpose to things that may otherwise feel mundane. It is the job of commercial artists to do just that.
The 2023 Society Awards Scholarship is now open for submissions.
Three scholarships will be awarded as follows:
Highest ranked application — $5,000.00
Second highest ranked application — $2,000.00
Third highest ranked application — $1,000.00
Judging will be conducted within 45 days of scholarship close.
All applications will be judged after close of entry period, May 21, 2023.
Selection is based on a rating system judged in four major categories. The candidate with the highest combined cumulative points will receive the scholarship. The categories are:
Applications for the 2023 NAACP x Society Awards Scholarship will be accepted from April 17, 2023, until May 21, 2023.
Disbursement: Funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution in the student's name.
The NAACP was established in 1909 and is America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. The NAACP Hollywood Bureau advocates for equitable opportunity and authentic representations in the entertainment industry that reflect our diverse communities. The alliances, coalitions, and partnerships we forge are dedicated to honoring the diverse and multicultural forms of artistic expression and promoting responsible approaches toward commercial exploitation.
The NAACP Hollywood Bureau is a satellite of the National office with a mission to hold the entertainment industry accountable for advancing diversity in front of and behind the lens. The Bureau addresses issues of diversity programming and oversees the production of the NAACP Image Awards. Learn more about the NAACP.