Open to high school seniors in Southern Santa Barbara County‡ and the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District, the Art Scholarship Program recognizes students who excel in the traditional fine arts, including painting, drawing, sketching, photography, design, furniture, and sculpture.
Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional artistic talent and creativity through the submission of original artwork.
The Process
A select number of applicants will receive an email invitation in December to participate in the art competition in January.
Winners of the Art Scholarship Competition are selected on the basis of submitted works, as evaluated by a panel of judges. Scholarship winners will be required to attend a reception in February where select submissions will be displayed.
Applicants must meet eligibility requirements and complete the online application and submit any required supplementary documents by November 15. Financial need is not required.
‡Southern Santa Barbara County includes Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria.
Click here to complete an application.
Required Supporting Documents
Art Guidelines
What Constitutes as Original Art
For the purposes of this scholarship, “original art” means artwork that is:
Created entirely by the applicant – the work must be conceived, designed, and executed by the student her/himself, representing her/his own unique artistic vision and creative expression.
Not copied, traced, or reproduced from existing works. This includes but is not limited to:
- Exact reproductions or copies of paintings, drawings, photographs, or digital images created by other artists
- Traced artwork from any source, including photographs, other artworks, or digital images
- Works that closely mimic or imitate the style, composition, or subject matter of recognizable existing pieces
- Fan art that recreates copyrighted characters, scenes, or imagery from movies, television, video games, comics, or other media
- Artwork created by significantly modifying or altering someone else’s work without substantial original contribution
- Artificial Intelligence may not be used to create artwork
Acceptable Use of References and Inspiration
While originality is paramount, students may:
- Use reference materials (photographs, objects, live subjects) as inspiration for their own interpretation and artistic vision
- Draw from art historical movements, techniques, or general stylistic approaches while creating something distinctly their own
- Create works inspired by themes, concepts, or emotions from other sources, provided the execution and visual interpretation are entirely original
Technical and Medium Requirements
- Artwork may be created in any medium (painting, drawing, sculpture, digital art, mixed media, photography, etc.).
- Each piece should demonstrate the student’s technical proficiency in their chosen medium.
- Digital art and photography must show evidence of original composition and creative vision.
- Collaborative works are not accepted unless the applicant can demonstrate their individual contribution comprises the majority of the creative work.
- Computer-generated/digital art submissions must be printable.
- We cannot accept films, video, or any type of performance art.
Documentation and Verification
Students must be prepared to:
- Provide process documentation (sketches, progress photos, etc.) if requested
- Verify that all submitted work is their own creation
- Sign a statement of originality certifying that the submitted artwork represents their own original work
Failure to comply with these originality requirements will result in immediate disqualification from scholarship consideration. The Scholarship Foundation reserves the right to research submitted works and verify their originality through various means.