Dream Big for Your Future! Apply for a Thea Scholarship
Thea scholarships are awarded to graduating Arkansas high school seniors, solely on talent, never on test scores, GPAs or intent to major in the arts. That means that whether you want to be a ballet dancer or a biochemist, your Thea scholarship is applicable.
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Thea Foundation Scholarship Competitions - 2026/2027 COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN TO CLASS OF 2027ARKANSAS SENIORS
Click here for a complete list of the 2025/2026 Thea Scholarship Winners!
Thea scholarships will travel to any college you attend, but if you choose to attend one of our dozens of education partners, including almost every 4-year college and many 2-year colleges in Arkansas, your scholarship could be matched with thousands more dollars in scholarship money.
Furthermore, Thea scholarships are open to all Arkansas high school seniors from public, private and charter schools, homeschooled seniors and those seeking their GED, but please read our rules and regulations carefully to be sure you qualify.
Thea Foundation is thrilled to announce the upcoming deadline for the 2026/2027 scholarship competition. The foundation will not limit applicants with a specific theme again this year. Instead, students are encouraged to submit work that best reflects their unique talents and creativity.
Arkansas high school seniors graduating in the spring of 2027 must submit their applications and artwork by January 10, 2027.
Our scholarship opportunities are offered in a completely digital format.
All of Your Questions Answered Here
Key deadlines for 2026-2027 competitions
Spoken Word Entries will use either Performing Arts or Creative Writing competitions to compete for scholarships.
Performing Arts
Visual Arts
Creative Writing
Film
Fashion Design
Teacher's Notice
Hey Teachers! Schedule a Zoom session with Thea Foundation founder Paul Leopoulos.
Teachers and students can join us for a 30 minute session to discuss the scholarship application process with time allotted for a questions and answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions we get about the Thea Scholarships and how to apply.
Entrants must be currently completing 12th grade in Arkansas. Public, private and home school students as well as those who have completed their GED are included. Only high school seniors enrolled in either public, private or home schools in Arkansas are eligible to register for a Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition. A high school senior means any student who is currently completing the 12th grade in public or private school or any home school student who lists the 11th grade as their last grade level completed on their Notice of Intent to Home School on file with the Arkansas Department of Education for the current school year.
All Thea scholarships are one-year scholarships. The entire scholarship amount is typically applied to the student’s freshman year. Partnering colleges apply their matching scholarships according to their own discretion.
Scholarships will be awarded to the student’s institution of choice, regardless of planned major. The student need not be majoring in an arts-related field to receive and utilize the scholarship. Violation of the declaration of student work as authentic will result in forfeiture of the scholarship applications.
Grade point average and test scores do not factor into consideration for a scholarship and need not be disclosed.
All accredited colleges, universities and institutes accept Thea Scholarships.
Scholarship checks are sent directly to the educational institution of the student’s choice when proof of full-time registration is received at the Thea offices and the funds are applied to the student’s account. All of the scholarship will be applied to the student’s account the freshman year. Should the student not attend after registration and before the deadline for refunds, the scholarship funds might be returned to Thea. Students must register for full-time classes at an accredited educational institution on or before the second winter term after the scholarship is awarded.
Students may defer their scholarship for a maximum of one (1) year. If a student chooses to defer, (s)he must provide proof of graduation date. Exceptions may be taken at the discretion of Thea staff for extreme cases.
Click here to see all of the colleges and universities that match Thea Scholarships. * Note: The published matching scholarship numbers on this document may change without notice by the institution. To varify you must call the college or university.