Each year, Monmouth Arts presents young art students with college scholarships through our Emerging Artist Scholarship Program. The program awards $1000 scholarships to three deserving Monmouth County high school seniors who are committed to pursuing the arts in higher education.
ELIGIBILITY:
 

• Student must be a matriculating high school senior, and be able to verify their intent to enroll in a higher education program in the fall, with degree of study focused in performing arts.
• Student must be able to verify that they are a Monmouth County resident.
• Student must achieve at least a 3.5 GPA.
• Student must be a Student Member of Monmouth Arts. Interested applicants who are not already a member can join for FREE!
• Student must have a one-page recommendation letter written by a teacher. This can be either a school teacher or a private-study teacher; one recommendation only, please.

GUIDELINES:
 

• Submissions should be videotaped and must be submitted through Submittable.
• Application is due no later than 5:00 pm on April 4, 2025. No late applications will be accepted.
• Student should provide one high-resolution photograph (headshot, cap and gown portrait, etc.) suitable for publication.
• Video submissions should not exceed 5 minutes in length. Submissions exceeding 5 minutes will not be reviewed.
• Video submissions must be in .MP4 format.

ACCEPTED ARTISTIC MEDIUMS FOR SUBMISSION:
Dance (one piece only): Classical or contemporary.
Music (one song only):
 

•  Voice: All styles acceptable (Jazz, classical, pop/contemporary, musical theatre, etc.). Original music not accepted without accompanying sheet music.                        
  • Instrumental: All styles acceptable (Jazz, classical, pop/contemporary, musical theatre, etc.). Original music not accepted without accompanying sheet music.
  • Composition: Must be a performance of composition, MIDI/electronic files not accepted, and must include PDF file of sheet music with submission.

Theatre/Drama: One solo monologue. Classical or contemporary.
NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS AND AWARD PRESENTATION:
 

• All adjudication decisions are final.
• Comments/evaluation notes will not be returned following the application results.
• Adjudication panel will be made up of adjudicators from the Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival, and members of the Monmouth Arts Board of Trustees.
• Scholarship recipients must attend the 2025 Arts Education Awards on Thursday, May 8th, 2025 in order to receive their award. Scholarship recipient will perform their work during the ceremony. Performance must be of the work submitted for consideration. Click here for more information about the 2025 Arts Education Awards.
• Participants will be notified via email of their application results. Participants are not permitted to post the results of the audition on social media following notification until the official announcement of the scholarship recipients at the 2025 Arts Education Awards After the ceremony, a press release will be issued naming the award recipients, which can then be shared with family and friends.

Each year, Monmouth Arts presents young art students with college scholarships through our Emerging Artist Scholarship Program. The program awards $1000 scholarships to three deserving Monmouth County high school seniors who are committed to pursuing the arts in higher education.
ELIGIBILITY/GENERAL GUIDELINES:
 

• Student must be a matriculating high school senior and be able to verify their intent to enroll in a higher education program in the fall, with a degree study focused in fashion, film, photography, or visual arts.
• Student must be able to verify that they are a Monmouth County resident.
• Student must achieve at least a 3.5 GPA.
• Student must be a Student Member of Monmouth Arts. Interested applicants who are not already a member can join for FREE!
• Student must have a one-page recommendation letter written by a teacher. This can be either a school teacher or a private-study teacher; one recommendation only, please.
• Application must be submitted through Submittable.
• Application is due no later than 5:00 pm on April 4, 2025. No late applications will be accepted.
• Student should provide one high-resolution photograph (headshot, cap and gown portrait, etc.) suitable for publication.

FILM GUIDELINES:
 

• Only short films under 5 minutes will be accepted. Films exceeding 5 minutes will not be reviewed or considered.
• Films must be submitted in MP4 format only.
• Any genre of film is acceptable.

FASHION GUIDELINES:
 

• Students must submit high resolution images of 4 designs that they feel represents their best work. One design should be a garment that they have sewn. Please send very clear, high-resolution images of the garment’s front, back, and sides. One close-up image of a part of the garment student would like to highlight is acceptable. However, no more than one, please.
• The remaining designs are to be sketches. Sketches of designs are to be on full-length fashion figures with back views.
• Each design should have several sentences discussing the thought process and inspiration for the design.
• Any style of work is acceptable.

VISUAL ART/PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES:
 

• Students must submit high-resolution images of 5 pieces that they feel represents their best work. Must be submitted in .JPEG format only. Please ensure pictures are clear (blurry photos cannot be adjudicated properly) and large enough to be able to be reviewed and critiqued for detail.
• Any medium is acceptable. The focus is to submit work that you feel represents their artistry at its best.
• 3-D work/sculpture is acceptable for submission. Must be photographed at ALL angles (front, back, each side, top, etc.) Collectively, these images will count as one submission of work.
• Student must submit artist statement (one statement in total, discussing all work submitted). Statement of artwork should be under 500 words.

NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS AND AWARD PRESENTATION:
 

• All adjudication decisions are final.
• Comments/evaluation notes will not be returned following the application results.
• Adjudication panel will be made up of adjudicators from the Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival, and members of the Monmouth Arts Board of Trustees.
• Scholarship recipients must attend the 2025 Arts Education Awards on Thursday, May 8th, 2025 in order to receive their award. Scholarship recipient will perform their work during the ceremony. Performance must be of the work submitted for consideration. Click here for more information about the 2025 Arts Education Awards.
• Participants will be notified via email of their application results. Participants are not permitted to post the results of the audition on social media following notification until the official announcement of the scholarship recipients at the 2025 Arts Education Awards (however, students may publicize their performance/showcase at the awards ceremony on social media to encourage family and friends to attend, so long as they do not reveal that they are the recipient of the scholarship). After the ceremony, a press release will be issued naming the award recipients, which can then be shared with family and friends.

Each year, Monmouth Arts presents young art students with college scholarships through our Emerging Artist Scholarship Program. The program awards $1000 scholarships to three deserving Monmouth County high school seniors who are committed to pursuing the arts in higher education.
ELIGIBILITY:
 

• Student must be a matriculating high school senior, and be able to verify their intent to enroll in a higher education program in the fall, with degree of study focused in  literary arts.
• Student must be able to verify that they are a Monmouth County resident.
• Student must achieve at least a 3.5 GPA.
• Student must be a Student Member of Monmouth Arts. Interested applicants who are not already a member can join for FREE!
• Student must have a one-page recommendation letter written by a teacher. This can be either a school teacher or a private-study teacher; one recommendation only, please.

GUIDELINES:
 

• Application must be submitted through Submittable.
• Application is due no later than 5:00 pm on April 4, 2025. No late applications will be accepted.
• Student should provide one high-resolution photograph (headshot, cap and gown portrait, etc.) suitable for publication.
• Student must submit 3-5 poems, or a short story, totaling up to 5 pages. Any style is acceptable.
• Performance of work is not required but accepted. If work is performed, a PDF of written work should be submitted alongside video submission.
• Video submissions should not exceed 5 minutes in length. Submissions exceeding 5 minutes will not be reviewed.
• Video submissions must be in .MP4 format.
• Submissions that do not include a video submission should not exceed 5 pages in length. Submissions exceeding 5 pages will not be reviewed.

NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS AND AWARD PRESENTATION:
 

• All adjudication decisions are final.
• Comments/evaluation notes will not be returned following the application results.
• Adjudication panel will be made up of adjudicators from the Monmouth Arts Teen Arts Festival, and members of the Monmouth Arts Board of Trustees.
• Scholarship recipients must attend the 2025 Arts Education Awards on Thursday, May 8th, 2025 in order to receive their award. Scholarship recipient will perform their work during the ceremony. Performance must be of the work submitted for consideration. Click here for more information about the 2025 Arts Education Awards.
• Participants will be notified via email of their application results. Participants are not permitted to post the results of the audition on social media following notification until the official announcement of the scholarship recipients at the 2025 Arts Education Awards. After the ceremony, a press release will be issued naming the award recipients, which can then be shared with family and friends.

Special assistance and accommodations are available upon request. Please contact Connie Isbell, ADA Coordinator, at connie@monmoutharts.org.

Monmouth Arts offers a limited number of $500 Mini Grants for arts projects to new and emerging organizations, and organizations only requiring a small amount of funding as part of the Local Arts Grant Program through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Organizations can apply for only one Mini Grant per fiscal year and may not have received other Monmouth Arts funding for that year. These grants have a simplified application process and a short time frame from application to award. There is no deadline. Applications are reviewed every two months. There are eight (8) Mini Grants available for 2025.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Projects must take place during Fiscal Year 2025 (January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025).   

Mini Grants are intended as an introduction to the ArtHelps Local Arts Grant Program; however, organizations only requiring a small amount of funding for their project may continue to apply for Mini Grants in subsequent years. After one successful Mini Grant application organizations can apply through the regular grant process for future support. A grant received in one year is no guarantee of subsequent funding.

Organizations that apply for General Operating Support or Special Project Support through Monmouth Arts or from the NJ State Council on the Arts may not apply for a Mini Grant. Organizations can apply for one Mini Grant per fiscal year.

Grant recipients must submit a Final Report consisting of a narrative and final financial accounting of the project at the end of the grant period.  The Mini Grant will be paid in full when the application is approved.

Applicants can preview a full copy of the form before applying by clicking here and going to the Guidelines and Application section of the grants page on our website.