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Top 25 Film Scholarships in October 2022
Across America, there are many educational institutions that house the resources necessary to support the world’s next generation of great filmmakers. However, like any other path of study, it costs money. Film scholarships can help students lighten that financial burden and bring them on their way to being great creators of visual arts.
Do you ever wonder who could be the next Tarantino or Kubrick? Maybe you even aspire to that level of fame for yourself. If you’re looking to study film, don’t put it past yourself! Keep on reading to find and apply for the top film scholarships!
Jump ahead to…
- Top film scholarships
- Frequently asked questions about film scholarships
- Explore these additional scholarship categories
Top 25 Film Scholarships in October 2022
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
NBC Universal Media Scholarship
Offered by LULAC National Educational Service Centers
Open to Latino college sophomores and juniors with an interest in working in the media and entertainment industry.
StudentCam Scholarship
Offered by Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN)
Open to middle and high school students who create a 5-6 minute documentary addressing the year's given theme.
Ocean Awareness Art Contest
Offered by Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
Open to middle and high school students who create an unconventional art/think piece addressing climate change.
Young Filmmakers Contest
Offered by One Earth Film Festival
Open to students in grade 3 through age 25 who submit a short video talking about climate and environmental action.
Islamic Scholarship Fund Film Grant
Offered by Islamic Scholarship Fund
Open to Muslim filmmakers, regardless of experience, career status, or individual achievements. Filmmaker must be a U.S. citizen.
Project Yellow Light/Hunter Garner Scholarship
Offered by Project Yellow Light
Open to high school upperclassmen and college students who submit a video, billboard design, or radio spot to encourage safe driving habits.
ConnectHER Film Festival
Offered by ConnectHER
Open to filmmakers between 13 and 25 years of age who submit 3-6 minute-long films on critical women's issues.
Gordon Hay Scholarship Fund
Offered by Blumenthal Performing Arts
Open to students within the Charlotte region who demonstrate accomplishment in a non-performance area of the performing arts.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to all high school and college students.
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Frequently asked questions about film scholarships
Can you get scholarships for being a YouTuber?
There are scholarships out there for YouTubers, but this is a field ridden with scam scholarships. When applying for scholarships based on your YouTube account or videos, be careful when giving out personal information. You should never give out your password or private information.
If you are a YouTuber, you are probably talented at making videos at home, and maybe even vlogging. This would set you up well to earn video scholarships. These scholarships have video components to their application. You’ll be able to showcase your ability for telling a compelling story via video.
Can you use film scholarships for acting?
Many film scholarships can also be applied to acting! For example, the Ocean Awareness Contest is a very open-ended scholarship for artistically-minded students. You can apply for it through acting, visual art, film music, or a host of other skills.
But be aware that not every film scholarship can be used for acting. Always make sure to go over the terms and conditions carefully before applying. If you have any doubts at all about your eligibility, reach out to the organization to clarify. This gives you the benefit of being sure that you’re eligible, as well as making contact with someone at the organization. This could encourage them to pay special attention to your application.
Do you have to study film to get a film scholarship?
Not necessarily! Some film scholarships do not require that you major in film. So, hobbyist filmmakers might be able to partially fund their college education with film scholarships, even if they never take a film class in school.
However, you should note that if you are already in college, many film scholarships will require that you major in the field. For the most part, the scholarships with the least strict requirements will be ones that you can apply to in high school.
What are the most prestigious film schools?
It’s hard to answer this question definitively, as prestige is subjective to many different factors. However, some of the film schools often mentioned as the most prestigious are:
- University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts
- New York University Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
- Beijing Film Academy
- American Film Institute Conservatory
- London Film School
