Prizes & Fellowships

Fellowships

Artist Development Fellowships

Artist Development Fellowships are awarded annually by the Council on the Arts, a standing committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to support student development in the practice of the arts. Fellowships are available to individuals for any of the following purposes:

  • For research and development of unusual artistic projects that are in the early stages of development.
  • For domestic or international travel and housing in order to apprentice and/or work with individual artists, programs, and/or companies.
  • To support artistic projects with a strong link to the curriculum and/or to a special concentration, thesis, or independent study.
  • For interdisciplinary work—not necessarily work that combines art forms, but work that links the artistic/creative process to a wholly different field in a way that sheds new perspective on and/or understanding of each.

For further information about Artist Development Fellowships and application dates, see the Grants and Subsidies section in the Office for the Arts at Harvard website.

George Peabody Gardner Traveling Fellowship

Provides a year of purposeful postgraduate travel for Harvard students to supplement their formal education through immersion in a foreign culture. For further information about the Gardner Traveling Fellowship as well as other traveling fellowship application dates, see the Fellowship Calendar.

Fellowships Outside of Harvard

Prizes

Albert Alcalay Prize

Artist Albert Alcalay, former Faculty member of the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, established this prize in 1986 to be awarded to the best student in Art, Film, and Visual Studies (formerly Visual and Environmental Studies) workshop studios as judged by a departmental committee of painting, sculpture, and drawing Faculty. The competition is open to all undergraduates enrolled in Art, Film, and Visual Studies workshop studios. Projects will be considered without special application by students. Further information may be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies in AFVS.

Rudolf Arnheim Prize

The Rudolf Arnheim Prize was established in 1974 upon his retirement as Professor of the Psychology of Art. The prize is for the most outstanding project that achieves excellence through interdisciplinary effort or to the project which demonstrates excellence in scholarly research integrated with visual communication. The competition is open to all undergraduates enrolled in courses in the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies and working on individual projects. Projects will be considered without special application by students. Further information may be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies in AFVS.

Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize Thesis Competition

In 1982 a fund was established, from a bequest by Thomas T. Hoopes ’19, to grant awards to undergraduates on the basis of outstanding scholarly work or research. Mr. Hoopes directed that the prizes be given for the purpose of “promoting, improving and enhancing the quality of education ... in literary, artistic, musical, scientific, historical or other academic subjects ... under faculty supervision and instruction ... [and] promoting excellence in the art of teaching.” The Hoopes Prize was created to recognize excellence in teaching as well as excellence in undergraduate work and requires the nomination of a faculty member. Further information may be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies in AFVS, as well as The Hoopes Prize website.

Chris Killip Prize

Established in 2019 to commemorate the work and service of photographer Chris Killip, former Professor of Visual and Environmental Studies, the Chris Killip prize shall be awarded for work in lens-based media, including but not limited to photography, film and video.  The competition is open to all undergraduates enrolled in Art, Film, and Visual Studies courses, including theses and senior projects. Projects will be considered without special application by students and will be judged by a committee of departmental faculty. Further information may be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Eduard F. and Mary Patricia Sekler Student Travel Fund for the Visual Arts 

This generous gift is made possible by Mary Patricia Sekler and establishes the Eduard F. and Mary Patricia Sekler Student Travel Fund for the Visual Arts. 

The Sekler Student Travel Fund for the Visual Arts will be used to support research travel, including travel related to artmaking or filmmaking, for Sophomore or Junior Concentrators or Sophomore or Junior Secondary Field students in the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies. The goal of the Fund is to make possible research projects conceived by a student that take the student away from Cambridge and/or their home environment and supplement their undergraduate education. Applications will be reviewed, and winners will be selected by AFVS Department Faculty. On the student’s return, they will be asked to submit and/or present a tangible record of the experience intended for the permanent archive of the program. Activities the Fund may support include travel costs and materials associated with the project, presentation materials, and other related costs.  

The award amount is capped at $5,000.

Who may apply for funding? 

  • The Department of Art, Film and Visual Studies invites Sophomore or Junior AFVS Concentrators or Sophomore or Junior AFVS Secondary students to apply. This includes AFVS Concentrators who have Joint or Double concentrations. 

When can the funding be used? 

  • The funding is intended to be used during the summer months between the Sophomore and Junior year, or the summer months between the Junior and Senior year.
  • Off-cycle students are welcome to apply, but this funding is not intended to be used during the academic year or after a student has graduated. 

How can the funding be used? 

  • The funding is intended to support research travel, including travel related to an art or filmmaking project, as well as (if relevant) materials associated with the project, archival materials, and/or other related costs. 

What is the intention of the Fund? 

  • The intention of the Fund is to offer Sophomore or Junior AFVS Concentrators or Sophomore or Junior AFVS Secondary students the opportunity to plan, organize, budget, and execute an excursion that exposes them to an experience outside of their usual experience. 

How can a student apply? 

  • Interested students are invited to submit a one-page proposal that includes a project overview or research statement, a timeline, and suggestions of how the record of the experience may be shared with the AFVS community. Students are encouraged to includelinks to their creative work (such as a link to an online portfolio or a link to a Vimeo page) within the one-page proposal.
  • Applicants must also submit a short draft budget, including a note on any other funding that has been secured or requested for the project.
  • All application materials must be submitted as PDF files by email to afvs-dus@fas.harvard.edu by Thursday, February 12 at midnight. 

Is there a post-award obligation? 

  • Yes, although the precise form this obligation will take is open. During the semester following use of the Fund, the recipient is expected to submit and/or present a tangible record of the experience intended for the permanent archive of the program. 

Safety and spending 

  • Students who receive funding will be asked to review and agree to some guidelines on spending as well as an agreement to observe all university, federal and local rules.
  • Students who receive funding will be given additional instructions and requirements concerning Harvard-funded travel.
Sydney M. Williams Jr. Traveling Fund for Visual Art Summer 2026

The Sydney M. Williams Jr. Traveling Fund supports up to five students to make original works of visual art.  Award recipients will use funds for travel outside the U.S. to support visual art projects.

Projects should be closely related to an ongoing or proposed creative project—they can include visiting museums and monuments, and can be any type of experience or research project provided that it does not involve taking formal classes.  A faculty committee will be selecting awardees with an impressive portfolio of visual work.

Student Eligibility

You are eligible to apply if you are:  

Application Instructions

  1. Enroll in direct deposit.
  2. Apply in CARAT to “Sydney Williams Jr Traveling Fellowship SU26” by Thursday, February 12, 2026 with the following materials:
    1. 400-word proposal
    2. One-page resume, PDF format (we recommend using a MCS template)
    3. Portfolio of your work (link to Google Drive or personal website)
    4. Proof of Direct Deposit enrollment, PDF format. Submit a pdf screenshot from the “Student Accounts” section from my.harvard that shows you are enrolled in direct deposit (Download sample screenshot)

This application process is coordinated by the Summer Funding Opportunities Office in collaboration with the Office for the Arts, the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, and Harvard University Art Museums under the aegis of its Curator of Contemporary Art.