Scholarship snapshot
Amount: $1000 to $5000
Scope: Partial scholarship
Target Country: United States
Target Audience: African Americans
The NAACP x Society Awards scholarship is one scholarship made available for Black students through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
For an overview of scholarship offers, check out our previous article highlighting 11 NAACP scholarships that are currently available. That said, let’s take a thorough look at the NAACP x Society scholarship awards.
About the NAACP and Society Awards
The NAACP x Society Awards scholarship is a scholarship sponsored by Society Awards in partnership with the NAACP Hollywood Bureau. Before we dive into exclusive details about the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship, it is pertinent that we consider some information about these two unique organizations that have collaborated to give scholarship awards to African American students.
As we mentioned earlier, the NAACP has worked since its inception to uplift and inspire the African American community as well as ensure a fair and equal society for all individuals. One way it accomplishes its mission is by giving scholarship awards to African American students to help them achieve success in their school, work, and life. The NAACP Hollywood Bureau administers the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship. It is a satellite of the National office that promotes equitable opportunity and authentic representations in the entertainment industry in order to reflect diverse communities. The Bureau’s primary responsibility is to address issues of diversity programming and oversee the production of the NAACP Image Awards.
Society Awards, on the other hand, is the premiere company that creates artful sculptures that serve as impressive recognition awards to artists, brands, and organizations. Since its launch in 2007, the Society Awards have focused on arts and design communities because of their perceived importance and relevance in society. To this end, it has collaborated with NAACP to establish the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship to encourage and support commercial art education in the United States.
About the NAACP x Society Awards Scholarship
In 2020, NAACP Hollywood Bureau partnered with Society Awards to offer the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship to African American students. This was the first-ever collaboration between these two stellar organizations.
In their respective ways, the NAACP and Society Awards respect the value and impact of art and design. Their mutual commitment to empowering African Americans to achieve success in their artistic endeavors has led to the establishment of this non-renewable scholarship opportunity. This scholarship awards students pursuing careers in the visual/performing arts field which includes film, theater, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, journalism, mass communications, etc.
There is an urgent need for talented artists and designers in society to not only make our world beautiful but also make unique societal changes through the universal language of art. Thus, the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship supports these endowed artists so that their vision will further beautify our world and our daily lives.
Award Amount
The NAACP x Society Awards scholarship gives three awards in a hierarchical order. The highest-ranked application receives an award of $5000. The second-highest-ranked application receives an award of $2000 and the third-highest-ranked application receives an award of $1000. The total award value annually is $8000. All winners will have their funds disbursed directly to their educational institution in their name.
NAACP x Society Awards Scholarship requirements
If you desire to apply for the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship, you must consider the requirements and see if you are eligible to apply.
- Be a member of the NAACP organization. This article will address some information on how you can become a member.
- Be a Black or African American.
- Be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States.
- Be enrolled full-time or accepted to an accredited college or university in the United States.
- Be a graduating high school senior or undergraduate student for applicable scholarships.
- Be a full-time student seeking an associate or bachelor’s degree as of the upcoming academic calendar year
- Possess a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 system.
- Show leadership skills, community involvement, and a commitment to social justice.
Note that Family members of the Board of Society Awards and NAACP are ineligible to apply for the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship.
How to apply for NAACP x Society Awards Scholarship
Becoming a member of the NAACP
As stated previously, you must be a member of the NAACP organization in order to be eligible to receive the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship. NAACP membership comprises three sections namely: The Regular Annual membership, Lifetime membership, and Corporate membership. The NAACP encourages anyone who desires to join to choose a membership type that best fits them. If you are not already a member, you can join by visiting the organization’s website and completing an online application.
Selection Criteria
As a full-fledged member of the NAACP, you are now eligible to apply. Selection of qualified applicants is based on a rating system judged by these 4 criteria:
- Quality of your submitted content. These include scholarship essay questions with answers up to 250 words and a portfolio of your work on either a PDF(15MB max) or web link.
- Academic performance as displayed by your high school transcript.
- Leadership/Community service involvement and experience expressed in a brief written summary or resume.
- Letters of recommendation.
Legal Information
All applicants of the NAACP x Society Awards scholarship must note the following legal information.
After application, Society Awards:
- Will store your personal information and will use your contact information to send marketing messages to you.
- Will NOT disclose your personal information to third parties except as needed to process your application and fulfill obligations to winners.
- May choose to publish your portfolio and other details of your submission, you will be given a chance to opt out of this beforehand.
- Will not separately compensate for any display of your portfolio.
As an applicant you are also required to:
- Certify that your portfolio is your true original work and under your full ownership.
- Agree to indemnify and hold the committee harmless for any disputes, issues, or challenges related to the originality or ownership of your portfolio, including reimbursing them for reasonable legal and professional fees incurred because of any such disputes, issues, or challenges.
- Understand you are not an employee, an agent, or a representative of the Foundation or any of its affiliated entities and persons. Thus, you agree not to hold yourself out as representing the Foundation or any of its affiliated entities or persons.
Note that submitting an application does not guarantee that you will receive the award. You also stand the risk of disqualification and retraction of your winnings if the Selection committee finds out that any of your submitted information is inaccurate or false.
The James Weldon Johnson Scholarship is part of a series of scholarship opportunities available for Black students through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Find other opportunities in the series in the list below:
How to Get NAACP’s Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship Award 2023
‘All-American Homecoming’ Grand Slam Scholarship for HBCU Students
Dark & Lovely Presents: Building Beautiful Futures Scholarship for Young Black Female Students
Walmart’s Empowering a Better Tomorrow Scholarship for African American Students
NAACP’s Hubertus W. V. Willems Scholarship for Black Male Students
James Weldon Johnson Scholarship for Students From Underrepresented Groups
Katherine McIntyre Scholarship Awards for 25 African Americans
The NAACP Creative Sole Scholarship for African American Students in Creative Fields
The NAACP X Society Awards Scholarship for African American Students
NAACP’s Uplift Scholarship for African American Students
Write Her Future Scholarship for Young Black Female Undergraduates 2023
At Scholarship Monitor, we are committed to providing you with up-to-date information on scholarship opportunities. Make sure to always check back for more updates and take advantage of the resources we have provided to help you achieve your academic and career goals.