Top 31 Photography Scholarships for Students in December 2023

Are you an 11 - 18 year old who has a passion for saving the environment and/or the ocean? Additionally, would you like to make a statement about the impact of climate change through writing, artwork, or even dance? You might consider applying for the Ocean Awareness Art Contest! Dedicated to encouraging the next generation to get involved in ocean conservation (and environmentalism as a whole), the contest asks its applicants to create a piece of artwork that reflects an impact/aspect of the current environmental crisis and its effect on the ocean. Each year has a specific theme to focus on, with this year being climate change. If you would like to make a statement about climate change’s impact on the ocean through art, we encourage you to apply!

Easy scholarship open to all high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year. Niche is giving one student $50,000 to help pay for tuition, housing, books and other college expenses — no essay required!

Sallie Mae will award $2,000 each month to eligible entrants. No essay or account sign-ups, just a simple scholarship for those seeking help paying for school.

Open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.

Are you an artistically driven individual who uses art to creatively benefit your community? If so, consider applying for the Trevor Coopersmith Urban Art Scholarship! The Trevor Coopersmith Urban Art Scholarship is open to all artistically driven individuals who utilize their art to creatively benefit their communities. The scholarship is funded by Trevor Coopersmith, a young artist and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) graduate dedicated to helping out his community however he can. During college, Trevor worked four jobs in order to graduate debt-free without any financial support. Thus, he realized his dream was to help others by donating all his works and creating art for his community. Every year, his Urban Art Scholarship awards $350 to help one (1) lucky artist pursue their dreams. If you’re passionate about having a career in arts and are looking for some help to pay off your degree, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a post-secondary student with a passion for photojournalism? If so, consider applying for the International Documentary Photography Scholarship! The International Documentary Photography Scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students who use photography to bring attention to social issues. The scholarship is funded by Anchell Photography, Inc., an organization established by the award-winning photographer, Steve Anchell. Steve Anchell is a passionate photojournalist and photographer whose works have been exhibited in galleries and private collections around the world. To support young photographers pursuing socially conscious photography, Steve's "International Documentary Photography Scholarship" offers $1,000 to one talented applicant each year. Selection is based on students' submissions and demonstrated interest/involvement in using photography to document a person, group of people, place, event, or happening of social or personal importance. If you’re passionate about photography and are looking for some help to pay off your degree, we encourage you to apply!

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Academic Scholarship Program offers scholarship funds to help Jewish college and graduate students offset some of their financial burden. To be eligible, applicants must be Jewish, been born and raised in the Chicago metropolitan area*, including Lake County, Indiana or had one continuous year of full-time employment in the Chicago metro area prior to enrollment, intend to return to the Chicago metropolitan area after completing school, and are entering their last two years of an undergraduate program or entering an accredited graduate program in the upcoming academic year. Eligible fields are listed below under "Eligibility Overview." Selected recipients will earn awards worth up to $4,000 each, which are potentially renewable. If you're an incoming Jewish college upperclassmen or graduate student from the Chicago Metropolitan Area or Lake County, Indiana, we encourage you to apply! Keep on reading to learn more.

The Pretty Lightroom Presets Annual Scholarship is a chance for college and university students in the US and Canada to earn money for their education. To apply, students must research and write an 800+ word essay-style Adobe Lightroom tutorial, complete with original screenshots and photos. Acceptable topics can include any How-To Lightroom or Lightroom Mobile tutorial, a unique photography-related tutorial, or how Lightroom has changed photography. If you're a college student experienced with Adobe Tutorial, don't miss out on this opportunity to further your education and showcase your skills!

The Rick Jowett Fellowship was established by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation to support educational opportunities for photographers and videographers who work in media in Wisconsin. Recipients of the fellowship can use the grant for professional development in the areas of photography and videography. Applicants must specify how the funds will be used. Potential uses include but are not limited to courses offered by the National Press Photographers Association, the Poynter Institute, or any accredited college or university. Keep on reading to learn more!

The HSLDA Contests are funded by the Home School Legal Defense Association, an organization dedicated to protecting parents' rights to homeschooling and providing homeschooling families with the necessary resources. Each year, the Home School Legal Defense Association Contests award scholarships of varying amounts to multiple homeschooled students aged 7-19 (2nd graders through high school seniors) who create and submit original pieces of artwork, videos, or writing. The contests are split into six types: Poetry, Video, Photo, Short Story, Art, and Essay. Each year, the Poetry and Video Contests run from February 1 - April 1, the Photo and Short Story Contests run from June 1 - August 1, and the Art and Essay Contests run from October 1 - December 1. If this scholarship sounds like a fit for you, keep on reading for more application details!

Are you pursuing a full- or part-time course of study in the arts? If so, you may be eligible for a scholarship from the Academy of Special Dreams College Scholarship Fund. These scholarship opportunities are for students with a disability who have demonstrated financial need. The scholarship is jointly funded by the College Scholarship Fund and the Working Artists Fund. The College Scholarship Fund targets traditional college-aged students with disabilities who are pursuing either a full- or part-time course of study in any medium of Art. The Working Artists Fund is focused on the disabled adult artist who actively pursues a career or vocation in any artistic field and who occasionally requires financial support to further that career or vocation. If either (or both) of these apply to you, we encourage you to apply for the Academy of Special Dreams College Scholarship Fund! 

The Dow Jones News Fund digital media internships offer a broad range of opportunities for students to flex their various digital skills from video production, photography, podcasting, data visualization, graphic design, website design, audience engagement, and social media management. To apply to the DJNF college internship program, students must complete an online application, attach supporting documentation and take a timed, online test. Applicants must attach 3-5 clips of stories they wrote or links to digital content they produced. For data journalism, they may attach code they have written or a data visualization they created; editors can provide headlines, page designs, or social media posts. Please note students must combine their work samples into one PDF or Word document. If you want to get some digital media experience under your belt, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a high school, undergraduate, or graduate student with a passion for photojournalism? If so, consider applying for The James Alan Cox Foundation Student Photojournalism Scholarship! Each year, the scholarship awards Digital SLR cameras to five high school students and $2,500 to six post-secondary students who submit photojournalistic images and news videos that “tell a story.” In addition to a photo or video, applicants must also submit an essay explaining their photo, school transcript, financial data, and two letters of recommendation. Bear in mind that high school and undergraduate applicants must be in at least their second/sophomore year. If you’re passionate about photography and want to be awarded for your efforts and talents, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a high school senior or college student interested in photo editing? If so, check out the Pretty Photoshop Actions Annual Scholarship! The scholarship is open to current or prospective college students who are looking to fund their education and write an essay-style tutorial for Adobe Photoshop. A photography business called Pretty Presents & Actions offers the scholarship award annually. The company was started in 2009 and is passionate about providing photo editing services and photography-related products to an international audience. Each year, the business awards $500 to help the lucky recipient pay for their college degree. If you’re a student interested in Adobe Photoshop and looking to fund your education, we encourage you to apply!

The YoungArts Competition is funded by YoungArts, an organization that identifies exceptional young artists, amplifies their potential, and invests in their lifelong creative freedom. Every year, their YoungArts Competition awards up to $10,000 to multiple high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors passionate about dance, music, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, singing, or writing who submit a written piece or video showcasing their talents. If this scholarship sounds like a fit for you, keep on reading for more application details.

The NSHSS Visual Arts Scholarship is for recently graduated high school seniors and rising high school students who will be graduating sometime in the next three (3) years. Three $2,000 awards will be given for photography, and three $2,000 awards will be given for painting/drawing/mixed media/digital art. In addition to the application materials listed below, applicants may submit pictures, videos, or other media showing their leadership in action (optional). All work must be the student's original work. If you're a high school student with a passion for visual arts, we encourage you to apply! Keep on reading to learn more.

Attention all Philadelphia area college students pursuing a career in journalism or multimedia arts! The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists is offering a chance to win one of two $2,500 scholarships for those enrolled full-time in a four-year accredited college in the Philly region. If you're pursuing an undergraduate degree in journalism or communications, or another major working toward a journalism career, this challenge is for you! And for community college students, there's a $1,000 scholarship up for grabs for those pursuing an associate degree in journalism or multimedia arts. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to kickstart your career!

The "Speak Up! Scholarship" is for students with a demonstrated passion for communications. This includes but is not limited to the following fields/classes: Journalism/Mass Communications (including Broadcast, Radio, Newspaper), Marketing/PR, Yearbook, Literary Magazine, Public Speaking (including Debate Club, Mock Trial, Model United Nations), and Visual Communications (including Photography, Graphic Design, Digital Video/AV). The scholarship is open to high school juniors and/or seniors, and will award 5 recipients with $2,000 each, every year.