Women Artists of the West · Lynn Thomas Memorial Scholarship Fund

2027 Scholarship Instructions

WAOW offers two $500 Lynn Thomas Memorial Scholarships for educational opportunities in 2027. These awards help current, active members advance their artistic skills and careers through professional, accredited workshops, classes, webinars or seminars. The fund honors Lynn Thomas, an Emeritus member remembered for her generous dedication of time and talent to WAOW.

Initial submission deadline: January 8, 2027, Pacific Time. Submit your complete application for review by this date. Saving a draft is not submission. Corrections may continue afterward until the coordinator approves and locks your application. Recipients will be notified by January 25, 2027.

Eligibility and educational opportunities

Be a current, active WAOW member in good standing. All membership levels are eligible.
Maintain a personal website showcasing your artwork and demonstrate an active art career.
Select a professional educational opportunity recognized by WAOW. Representational or non-objective art, in-person programs and online programs are eligible within the program criteria.

Gather your materials

Your current CV or resume, including art education, exhibitions and other art-related activities.
Your Artist Statement. Both the statement and CV or resume are required; upload a PDF or Word file (.doc or .docx), up to 10 MB each.
Your academic and career objectives for the next 3–5 years and how the proposed learning opportunity supports them.
Workshop or course name, instructor, hosting organization, location and dates. Include a course information link if available. Put these in the workshop answer and describe course content in the education opportunity answer.

Sign in and apply

Open submissions.waowconnect.org/scholarships directly. You can also choose Scholarships from your WAOW Connect dashboard.
For direct sign-in, enter your email and request a sign-in code. Enter the newest complete code on the same page. Use the same email each time you return.
Select the 2027 cycle. When intake is open, choose Start my application. Use this portal for your application; do not also complete the old website form.
Complete the answers, choose Save application, and upload your required documents. Save before uploading or leaving the page. You can return to saved work later.
Choose Submit for review before the initial submission deadline. Confirm the application status changes from draft to submitted.

Review and corrections

Staff may request changes through the portal. Read Requested changes, update and save your application, then choose Resubmit corrections. Editing remains available during review until the coordinator approves and locks the application. Once approved, answers and documents cannot be changed. Check the portal for requests even if you do not receive a notification email.

Start Over removes your answers and detaches documents so you can start a blank draft; your account and history remain. It is available only to the owner before approval, while intake is open and before the initial deadline. Delete Application permanently removes the application and its documents and history; your account remains. These are separate actions with confirmation prompts. Approved applications and finalized cycles are locked.

Awards and payment

A jury evaluates artwork, an active art career, clear objectives and the connection between the proposed education and professional development. Each award provides $500 for one year; members may reapply in future years.

WAOW sends the scholarship check directly to the workshop provider. If advance payment is required, reimbursement may be requested with paid receipts submitted to the WAOW Treasurer within 45 days of payment, in the same year the workshop is taken. Funds must be used within one year of the award date or the scholarship is forfeited.

Questions

Contact Joey Frisillo, Scholarship Chair, at jfrisillo@cimtel.net.

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