Merit Scholarship 2026: Tweedy Scholarship for Figure Drawing

The Art Students League of New York is delighted to offer Scholarship opportunities through the annual Merit Competition. Scholarships are open to all current students and prospective new students, providing tuition for one full-time class for the next Regular Session (September 2025-May 2026). Partial tuition scholarships are also awarded.

MERIT SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY

• Open to students working in drawing from life. 
• League Membership is not required. 
• There are no minimum registration hours required. 
• Previous Merit Scholarship recipients are not eligible. 
• New students applying for a scholarship must create a League account to obtain an Art Students League ID Number by clicking here.
• Recipients of a tuition scholarship must enroll in classes for the 2026/27 Regular Session and fully use the scholarship by May 31, 2027. 
• Mandatory participation in the League's annual Scholarships & Grants Exhibition next year. Recipient is expected to produce artwork for this exhibition while on scholarship.
• Scholarships may not be deferred. 
• Scholarships may be used for both online and/or in-person classes.
• For in-person study, international students must have a visa status permitting full-time study at time of application and for the 2026/27 Regular Session. 
• Temporary international visitors to the United States are not eligible for merit scholarships. 
• Merit scholarships are awarded from named funds following the competition. Review a list of available scholarship funds here.

 APPLICATION PROCEDURE APPLICATION DUE DATE: Sunday, April 19, 2026 

• Required fields are marked with a red asterisk (*).
• Email Address Validation is required. You will receive an email from Submittable asking you to confirm your email address.
• Completed and signed application form.
• Art Students League ID number is required; jurors will only be able to identify entrants by ID number.
• New students must create a League account to obtain a Student ID Number by clicking here.
• One Merit Scholarship application per student in only ONE category: Realism, Semi-Objective/Semi-Abstract, or Abstract.
• Optional Information: The Art Students League is able to designate certain scholarships based on donor intent. Providing the information in this section is voluntary, but can help the Art Students League distribute awards more effectively. This information has no bearing on the competition itself, which is judged solely on the basis of presented artwork.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

• Submit three (3) digital images of drawings to be judged.
• Artworks in multiple panels (diptych, triptych) must be submitted as single image files.
• Save each file in JPEG format, no larger than 2 MB (megabytes).