Awards and Competitions
Hacking Arts
From 2012 to 2019, the MIT Hacking Arts Festival was an annual conference that ignited cross-disciplinary innovation at MIT. Artists, engineers, and entrepreneurs came together for a two-day festival to take on challenges at the intersection of the arts and … Continued
MIT Arts Startup Incubator
Workshops + Mentorship + Compete for $15,000 Formerly known as the Creative Arts Competition, the MIT Arts Startup Incubator was established in 2013 to foster arts-focused ventures at the Institute. The $15,000 prize is awarded to help launch the winning … Continued
Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards
The Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards
The Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards are presented annually to individual students (undergraduate or graduate) or MIT groups (.i.e., living groups, student organizations) for outstanding arts-related contributions to the MIT community. Up to four awards are made annually. An endowment fund provides a $2,000 award to each recipient.
Nominees should display a strong commitment to the arts as reflected in their participation in and leadership contributions to arts-related activities and organizations at MIT; the impact of those contributions and achievements on the MIT community; and the potential of their contributions to have a lasting impact at MIT.
MIT community members who are considering nominating individual student candidates based on significant contributions to a single student-led arts organization are encouraged to consider nominating the organization as an entity in recognition of the collective contributions and involvement of an organization’s leadership team and members.
Established by the Council for the Arts at MIT in 1979, these awards honor past MIT President Jerome B. Wiesner and Laya Wiesner for their commitment to the arts at MIT.
Louis Sudler Prize
The Louis Sudler Prize
The Louis Sudler Prize is presented annually to an individual graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence and the highest standards of proficiency in music, theater, painting, sculpture, design, architecture or film. An endowment fund provides a $2,500 award to the honoree.
Nominations are evaluated based on evidence of individual artistic excellence and achievement; evidence of strong commitment to the arts; and the potential to have a continued impact in the arts.
The prize was established in 1982 by Louis Sudler, a performer in the arts and an arts patron from Chicago.
Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts
The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts
The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts is presented to current MIT students, undergraduate and graduate, for excellence in a body of work in the visual arts. Students submit an artistic portfolio for consideration. Applications are considered each spring.
Portfolios are evaluated based upon the coherence and scope of the body of work, as demonstrated by the clarity of inquiry or vision; quality of execution of artistic product; command of medium; use of materials, including technology, computation, fabrication, and research; and demonstrated ability of the artist to contribute to and impact artistic conversations and practices at MIT and beyond.
A generous endowment allows for the award of graduate student prizes of $5,000 each, and undergraduate prizes of $2,500. Recipients also participate in a joint exhibition in the Wiesner Student Art Gallery (in 2023 this exhibition will be presented in digital format).
The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts was established in 1996 through the generosity of Harold and Arlene Schnitzer of Portland, Oregon. Schnitzer, a real estate investor, graduated from MIT in 1944 with a degree in metallurgy.
Emerson Scholarship Program
Offering merit-based financial assistance for private lessons to MIT students of outstanding achievement on their instrument or voice in classical, jazz, or world music via competitive auditions. Each academic year, the Emerson program for private study offers half scholarships and … Continued