The Department of Screen Arts & Cultures offers a variety of awards focusing in three areas: scholarly research and writing; film, video, television, or digital media production; and screenwriting.

Proposals for awards will be judged using three basic criteria: the merit/quality of the proposed project, the quality of the past work as indicated by the sample work submitted, and the clarity and completeness of the application. Each of these criteria will be given equal weight in the judging of the proposals. A student's GPA in the SAC major will also be a factor in the awards adjudication. 

The University of Michigan, through the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures (SAC) and Instructional Support Services (ISS), provides, on-loan to students registered for University courses,  the equipment necessary to produce high-quality student projects.  Funds are granted for unavoidable expenses. Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, that can be justified, requests for special equipment will NOT be funded.  Examples of special equipment include items such as prime lenses, special dollies, and high-end cameras, such as the “Red” camera.  The SAC Awards Committee places emphasis on a student’s creativity and resourcefulness in funding and making their work.

Awards & Grants Deadlines

Note: Late applications will not be accepted and incomplete applications will be disqualified. The uploading system will be shut down at 4 PM on the day of the deadline.

Fall Deadline

TBD

Winter Deadlines

February 18, 2013 - Burnett, Garrison, Preston, Trueblood, Webber Glover

March 15, 2013 - Cohen and Beaver* (See note on Guidelines for Applying for Awards & Endowments.) 

April 17, 2013 - Vennema Fund and Winer Internship (See note on Guidelines for Applying for Awards & Endowments.)

April 22, 2013 - Benedek* Screenwriting Awards (See note on Guidelines for Applying for Awards & Endowments.)

Spring/Summer Deadline

May 29, 2013 - Webber Glover ONLY

Guidelines for Applying for Awards & Endowments

Fall Term Awards and Endowments

Garnet R. Garrison Scholarship for Honors

This award(s) is for Senior Honors candidates to help defray the cost of preparing the Honors thesis – either research costs or the costs of a creative production project or screenplay.

The Alice Webber Glover Scholarship Award

These competitive scholarships are intended to help with the special costs associated with the writing and/or production of student film, video, or digital media projects.

Winter Term Awards and Endowments

Frank and Gayle Beaver Short Script Writing Prize

The Frank and Gail Beaver Production Script Writing Prize will be awarded to a SAC student for a distinguished script developed in a Screen Arts and Cultures production class.

The Peter and Barbara Benedek Award for Best Screenplay

This is a screenwriting award for full-length screenplays (90 to 110 pages). Applicants must have taken a U-M SAC screenwriting course.

The Peter and Barbara Benedek Prize for Best TV Script

This is a screenwriting award for a TV script. Applicants must have taken a U-M SAC TV Writing course.

The Leo Burnett Foundation Grants Program

This grants-program offers support to a student who shows an expressed interest in communications media and how they function in a market economy.

The Hubert and Ellen Cohen Film Essay Award

This award honors the best undergraduate scholarly essay(s) in film history, film criticism, or film theory, and are a minimum of 15 pages in length.

Garnet R. Garrison Scholarship for Honors

This award(s) is for Senior Honors candidates to help defray the cost of preparing the Honors thesis – either research costs or the costs of a creative production project or screenplay.

The Barbara Preston Scholarship Award

The Barbara Preston Scholarship Award will be given once a year to one Screen Arts & Cultures Major or Global Media Studies minor for a completed film, a work-in-progress, or a proposal for a documentary film, with a preferred focus on women’s issues.

The Trueblood Fellowship Award

The Trueblood Fellowship is used to support students involved in the performance aspects of film, television, or video art.

Bess Vennema Fund

This fund supports SAC undergraduate travel to study film abroad.

The Alice Webber Glover Scholarship Award

These competitive scholarships are intended to help with the special costs associated with the writing and/or production of student film, video, or digital media projects.

The Sydney J. Winer Scholarship Award for Internship Support

This award helps to defray the cost of an internship in the entertainment industry. The recipient of the award must register for SAC 480 to receive the award.