The Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust are accepting applications for the 2018 class of Young Masters, a joint initiative that provides exemplary Texas-based arts students in grades 8-11 with the financial help they need to pursue advanced study in the areas of visual arts, literary arts, folk arts, music, theater, dance, musical theater, and media arts.

The state’s most talented young artists will receive the title of “Young Master” and are awarded grants of $5,000 per year to further their studies in their chosen arts disciplines. Students are eligible to receive the grant for two years, but they must submit a report and update their application. The students selected for this program will represent the ninth class of Young Masters. The Trust and TCA have given 313 grants to 139 previous Young Masters, awarding $857,500 to aspiring artists since its inception in 2002.

Applications, information, and guidelines are available online at http://tinyurl.com/youngmaster. Applications and required supporting materials must be submitted by November 15, 2017. In order to be considered for the grant, students must be legal U.S. residents living in Texas and participating in a school-based program, a summer institute, or a specialized course of study or receiving private lessons from a qualified professional instructor. They must also maintain passing grades in all academic areas. The Young Masters will be selected by a citizen panel of experts from across the state based on artistic excellence, level of commitment, and quality of their proposed plan of study. Disbursement for this class of Young Masters will begin in the spring of 2018. The 2018 Young Masters recipients will be honored at a star-studded event on Monday, April 16, 2018 in Austin, Texas.