2026 Scholarship Entry Requirements

• Eligibility: Open to Downriver residents only.

• Who Can Apply:

  • 2025 graduating seniors from a Downriver high school

  • Alumnus of a Downriver high school

  • Current Downriver residents enrolled in college or other higher education.

• Field of Study: Must be pursuing a degree in visual arts, such as Fine Arts (drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, printmaking, sculpture), Art Education, Architecture, Graphic Design, Video, Artistic Welding, and more.

• Questions: Contact us if you have questions about your chosen program.

• Downriver Communities: Includes Allen Park, Belleville, Brownstown Township, Carleton, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Ecorse, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile Township, Huron Township, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, New Boston, River Rouge, Riverview, Rockwood, Romulus, Southgate, Sumpter Township, Taylor, Trenton, Van Buren Township, Woodhaven, and Wyandotte.

Required Scholarship Entry Materials

1. Download the Scholarship Application Form. HERE.

2. Complete and sign the Visual Arts Scholarship Application Form. Ensure it's hand-signed or e-signed. High School applicants must provide student and parent/legal guardian’s contact info and signatures. Include your name in the file name sent.

File name example: JSmith_Scholarship_App.pdf

 3. Write a personal statement of 500 words or less detailing your educational plans and career goals in visual arts. Include motivating factors and experiences that shaped your choice of career. Explain your need for the scholarship. Note that applications without a personal statement will not be considered.

4. Submit a professional reference letter from the applicant's Art/Design/Craft teacher or employer. The referee must be at least 18, not a family member, and include contact information for both the applicant and referee.

5. Submit a personal reference letter from a responsible adult (18+ years) who is not a family member. Include contact information for both the applicant and the referee.

6. Choose 3-5 sample images of your artwork and photograph them. Save as .jpg or .png files. All submitted artwork will NOT be judged per se but regarded as an example of the intention of the applicant's future endeavors.

Image files should be titled as indicated below and saved in the following format:
Your Name_Art Title_Art Medium Used_Size (H x W in inches)
EXAMPLE: TerriMichaels_SunlitDream_Watercolor_16x20
Accepted format: .jpeg .jpg .png
File Size: 2 MB

6. Submit your materials. Artwork, application, and reference letters may be sent by email attachments, Google Drive link, or by mailing a flash/thumb drive or CD. You can also drop off a flash/thumb drive at our February or March member meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

All materials must be in PDF, jpeg or .png format. Reference letters can be sent to: creativeartsociety.mi@gmail.com before the deadline date.

Be sure to contact us if you have questions.

Note: By submitting your application and materials, you give your permission to CAS to use images of your artwork for promotional purposes.

CLICK HERE to submit your application

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7. Photographing Your Artwork

For free-hanging artwork
Hang your artwork on the wall. Light your work properly

• If you are shooting your work indoors, do so in a room with plenty of windows and natural light.

• Adjust your camera and settings. If your art piece is flat, try to photograph the entire art piece. Be sure no outside edges are exposed in the photograph.

• Edit your photos to perfection and save them as 2 MB jpeg files.

  
  For free-standing artwork
  A single light is often all you need, which makes photographing your work even easier.

• Set up your light stand and angle the light straight down.

• Position the light so it is directly above the subject. This will create a nice shadow under the bottom edge and will help ground the object.

• Edit and crop your photos to perfection and save them as 2 MB jpeg files.

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8. Submitting Your Scholarship Entry
No fee is required to enter the scholarship competition. Submit all required materials: completed application form, personal statement (500 words or less), two reference letters, and 3-5 artwork images. Artwork must be saved as JPEG or .png files, each no larger than 2-5MB.

Reminder: Scholarship applicants grant Creative Art Society permission to use submitted artwork for promotional purposes without further consent or compensation. The applicant agrees to permit Creative Art Society to use your submitted artwork samples for promotional purposes without additional written consent from the applicant, nor monetary compensation received from, or to the scholarship applicant.

Using Email, a Cloud-based Storage System, Postal, or In-person Drop Off Delivery

• To EMAIL your materials as attachments, click on the EMAIL Your Scholarship Entry Materials button below, type your email message, and choose the INSERT button at the top of the email page. Finally, choose the FILE button to attach your files, then the send button.

• If you are interested in using another delivery method, including supplying a Cloud-based Storage System link for Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Apple iCloud, in-person drop-off, or mailing your entry materials using the US Postal Service, please send an email for info to:

  CAS Scholarship Coordinator creativeartsociety.mi@gmail.com
  

  Please note: You should get a response within 2-3 business days to let you know CAS has received your scholarship entry materials or to address your questions. She may also contact you with questions or clarifications regarding your entry. You may be required to make adjustments as needed. If you have not heard from her within a week, please try contacting her again.

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Use one of the Scholarship Entry buttons below to: Submit your application, reference Letters, and artwork online OR to contact CAS directly.

Thank you and good luck!

Previous CAS Visual Art Scholarship Entrants and Winners