Scholarship Info

The New Student Scholarship Contest 2025/2026

The Academy of Realist Art, Boston launches its 11th annual scholarship competition for promising artists who are seeking in depth technical training in observational drawing and painting.

The scholarship to be awarded is for one year's free tuition for the IN-PERSON school year, September 2025-June 2026. We do not have a scholarship for the online Atelier program at this time. Equivalent value is up to $9,840 for our full-time program in Boston. This is for tuition only. Housing/lodging is the responsibility of the student.

Submissions shall be treated as being free of restrictions and limitations on their use and publication. Prizes have no cash surrender value and are not transferable. Any expenses incurred by the winner(s) to claim the scholarship award(s) are the sole responsibility of the individual. ARA Boston reserves the right to refrain from awarding the scholarship at it's discretion.

Submission Details

January 31st, 2025: Submission Deadline
Feb 15: Shortlist Notified - Once we narrow down candidates, we will schedule an interview with the finalists (either in person, by phone or video)
Winner will be announced March 1st, 2025.

Eligibility and International Info

Entries are accepted from the worldwide artist community. We do not assist with VISAs. It is your responsibility to obtain proper documentation to come to the US. If applying internationally, please make sure you find out if you are able and eligible to move to the US to attend.

Applicants must be over the age of 18 years (under 18 with parent's permission) and not currently enrolled at the Academy of Realist Art Boston. Team entries are not accepted. If awarded, housing/lodging is the responsibility of the student.

How to Submit

Submit by completing the following tasks:

Send the following information to arabostoncontest (at) gmail.com
1. A pdf that includes the following:
  1. Name
  2. Email
  3. Website (if applicable)
  4. Phone
  5. Address
  6. Age
  7. Short Bio
  8. Statement of Intention (Why are you interested in this scholarship and what is your planned length of study at ARA Boston)
  9. Previous Education/Experience
  10. List of images submitted (Title, Medium, Year Completed)
  11. Any other info you think would be relevant for us to know
2. 5 to 8 jpeg images. Images files should be named in the following format: artist name_title of work_yearcompleted.jpg
3. 2 letters of recommendation in pdf form (ideally from previous instructors, employers, or other artists that you may have trained with)

No digital artwork. All submissions must be original and not a copy of an existing work. Artwork must be drawn by hand and not traced or copied using mechanical devices. JPEG images should be no less than 800 pixels in the shortest dimension.

Interview with the 2018/2019 Scholarship Student: Antonio Lones

Tell us a little about yourself, background and how you came to ARA Boston?
Ever since I could remember I was involved in artistic activities. My teachers noticed my affinity for drawing since elementary school, but wasn’t until 2011 that first introduced to formal drawing and painting methods, which is when I started studying architecture in El Salvador. Then in 2013 I moved to the U.S since my parents were here and the state of conflict in my home country and when I started to search for art schools in Boston I considered my appreciation for classical painting and portraiture which ultimately helped me decide on enrolling into ARA Boston
Did you have any experience with this type of training before attending ARA?
Although I already knew about traditional techniques I didn't practice them since I didn’t know how to apply it to my artwork.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Emigrating from your native country to another which has a different culture and language is one of the biggest challenges that I’ve had to deal with.
It’s actually one of the reasons I waited so long to apply for the scholarship at ARA Boston, I had to learn the language first and wait until I felt it was the right moment.
We are part way through your first full time semester. How would you describe your experience so far?
Honestly, as a person I’m very nervous and so I was anxious before the start of the classes. That feeling disappeared on the first day because the environment in the Academy is so great. Everyone is very friendly and they make you feel at home. The instructors are truly knowledgeable in the traditional methods and their guidance and critique can be a powerful tool for anyone to improve as an artist, regardless of their experience. I feel I've learned so much just in these past few months since I started in the academy as scholarship student.
What advice would you give future scholarship students?
If you really want to become a great painter, draw as much as you can. Drawing is the basis.