The Arts Club of Washington · 2026–27
Documentary
Filmmaking
Scholarship
Find a true story and tell it well. $4,000 across three prizes, judged on the work alone. Open to every college student in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
A student crew lines up the shot · Photo: Robin Férand · CC BY 3.0
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This year’s art form
Documentary Filmmaking
This cycle the competition turns to documentary filmmaking, which the club counts under cinematography, one of the nine art forms named in its founding mission. A documentary begins with patient attention: go and look, listen carefully, get it right, and bring back a true story shaped with the craft of cinema.
Meet all nine art forms & their story →
Read our AI & authorship principles →
Across the region
36 film programs, invited by name
Students at every accredited college in the region may enter. Film and media programs are listed so faculty and advisors can find their school.
The calendar
Important dates
See the full calendar.
The awards
Recognition with history behind it
Winners are announced on this site March 22, 2027, then honored at a Sunday afternoon reception at the club on April 11, where their films screen in the Monroe Gallery. Amounts shown are minimums for the 2026–27 cycle and can grow with donor support.
The first-place award is given in memory of Dr. Jane Work, the longtime chair of this scholarship program; the fund itself carries the name of Dr. Anna Bartsch-Dunne, who spent a lifetime endowing students’ chances.
The women behind the scholarship →
About the club and the house →
2017 I Street NW
Why enter
What winning looks like
Your film on a screen at the club
Your film plays for an audience of members and guests in the James Monroe House, a National Historic Landmark that has belonged to the arts since 1916.
A credit that means something
“Winner, Arts Club of Washington Scholarship Competition” belongs on a résumé, a festival submission, and a graduate application, backed by a club that has championed working artists for over a century.
Judged by working professionals
An independent panel of professional filmmakers and documentary experts reviews every entry. The panel will be announced this fall.
A monetary award
Presented in person at a reception in your honor. Bring up to four guests, your faculty advisor and family among them, to join the club’s members for the screening.
Stay in touch
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