For students looking to expand their resumes, make money for college or simply lean into their creative side, a number of art competitions and scholarships are available. With options including writing, visual arts, film and more, all students are sure to find an enriching opportunity in the arts this spring.
2025 Naomi Rabb Winston 2-D Visual Art Scholarship
Submission deadline: Feb. 1
A yearly scholarship for students ages 16-22 hosted by the National Society of Arts and Letters that will be apportioning a total of $16,000 to student winners. The award is in memory of Naomi Rabb Winston, an accomplished artist and educator, and is meant to support young artists’ creative futures. For more information and access to other NSAL scholarship opportunities, visit https://www.arts-nsal.org/scholarships/winston-art-scholarships
Edinburgh Short Story Award 2025
Submission deadline: Feb. 28
A short-story writing contest based in Edinburgh, Scotland, open to writers across the globe who are over 16 years old. The contest welcomes all genres with a first place award of £3,000 (roughly $3,652), second place £500 ($608) and third place £250 ($304). There is an £11 ($13) charge for each story submission, but no limit to how many stories one author can submit. The organization also gives the writers of the top 20 stories the unique opportunity to publish their works in The Edinburgh Anthology’s annual literary magazine. For more details, visit this link.
All-American High School Film Festival
Free submission deadline: March 3
Final deadline: June 30 ($65)
A national film competition that encompasses categories including, but not limited to, animation, broadcast feature, comedy and documentary. Each category has specific requirements for length and style. Submission is free until March 3, but prices rise to $20 on April 28, $40 on June 2 and $65 on June 30. Selections will be announced on July 17 and winners will be announced in Oct. 2025. Every category winner will receive prizes including subscriptions to well-renowned film software and 1:1 film mentorships. Certain category winners will also be awarded scholarships to specific universities. See here for more specific contest details and prize information.
Best In Show: Pets Art Competition
Submission deadline: March 18
An annual, global contest open to students of all ages who have pet-themed artwork to share. The first-place Best In Show winner receives a $1,500 prize and a one year membership to Artists Network. The contest also offers a $500 prize and free membership to each of the winners of the Top Dog, Top Cat and Top Other Pets categories. The top 15 Honorable Mentions (five per category) each receive a $50 Artists Network gift card and free membership. Non-members of Artists Network must pay $25 for submission, while members pay $15, and all 19 winners will be published in the Sept/Oct edition of Artists Magazine. For more information, visit this link.
Doodle For Google
Submission deadline: March 21
An annual art scholarship from Google that encourages K-12 students to create drawings around the Google logo, with this year’s theme focusing on students’ future dreams. The contest supports any materials, including digital art, clay and even objects. Students over the age of 13 can now submit songs, poems or stop-motion animations. 55 winners from the 50 states and U.S. territories will be announced, along with 5 national finalists who will each receive $5,000. One national winner will be chosen and receive a $50,000 scholarship and their work will be displayed on Google for 24 hours. Visit the doodle webstie for more submission details.
Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest
Submission deadline: March 31
A national art competition for students grades 9-12 hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary since 1979. The organization focuses on art with patriotic or American themes, and apportions $37,000 among the first-place state winners who advance and win at the national level. The contest includes a 3-dimensional division for students interested in sculpture or ceramics, but will turn down any 3-D printed pieces. For more guidelines and submission details, visit this link.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
Submission deadline: June 9
A national art contest for students ages 11-18 looking to raise environmental awareness. This year’s theme is Connections to Nature: Looking Inside, Going Outside, encouraging artists to relate to their own experiences with nature. First place submissions for both the junior division (11-14) and senior division (15-18) will receive a $1,000 prize, and additional monetary prizes for second, third, fourth and honorable mentions will be awarded. The organization also offers ten $500 prizes for Black, Indigenous, or Latine students who enter artworks in the contest. For more details, visit this link.
