Studying Photography? Tips for Finding Good Scholarships

Arts-based scholarships may not be as widely publicized as those for science and math students, and they may not come from government sources, but rest assured that you CAN find scholarship money to pursue your passion for photography.

Best sources for scholarship money:

Private sources
Public sources
Art schools

General Photography Scholarships

Photography scholarships are available from global sources and from those very local to you. Here are a couple very popular and competitive:

The Google Photography Prize awards winners with $7,500 in money usable toward their education. The program invites students to submit photographs that are judged for inclusion in iGoogle images. This is an international prize—thousands of submissions are received with only a few final winners.
The PhotoShop World Conference and Expo sponsors an annual scholarship for students eager to get front and center with the worlds’ best PhotoShop gurus. This award covers travel plus room and board for the current year’s event, as well as entry to workshops and seminars. 25 scholarships for this conference are handed out annually.

Nature and Travel Photography Scholarships

The Milotte Scholarship is a private endowed financial program established by the renowned husband/wife photography team—Alfred and Elma Milotte. The scholarship specifically seeks to reward the talents of a budding wildlife and nature photographer on his or her journey through art school.
World Nomads.com sponsors an annual Travel Photography Scholarship program. This unique challenge puts one winner on site with a renowned travel photographer for professional mentorship and the opportunity to be involved in a key travel piece for National Geographic Magazine. Very competitive. Applicants must be 18 or older, have a solid photography portfolio already started and passion for travel and photography.
The North American Nature Photography Association is an example of a professional organization that supports the work of up and coming students. This scholarship is open to high school students age 14 and up. The scholarship covers travel, room and board expenses for the annual NANPA Symposium, a key natural photography event and a valuable learning experience for next-gen photographers.

Photography Scholarships for Photojournalism Students

Photojournalism is that branch of communications and media which involves being on site and filming or shooting images that include events, news, action and more.

The National Press Photographers Association sponsors a handful of prestigious awards for photojournalism students. Applicants for any of the scholarships must submit professional portfolios in addition to any other images required, indicate financial need and have achieved some measure of academic merit. You’ll find scholarship programs for still photographers, television and for print, as well as videographers.
The Alexis Foundation sponsors an annual student scholarship program that ultimately awards outstanding photojournalism students with full- or partial-tuition scholarships to study in this field at London’s Syracuse University. Awards are handed out to multiple undergraduates and graduate photojournalists.