The Competition
2026–27 cycle · Documentary film — a subgenre of cinematography, one of the club's nine founding art forms.
Crew check the frame on a field monitor · Photo: Igor Hnes · Unsplash License
About
The Arts Club of Washington invites college students in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to participate in its Scholarship Competition in Documentary Filmmaking. The competition recognizes emerging artists, supports creative development through monetary awards and public recognition, and affirms human authorship in an age of powerful creative tools.
The program is open to all eligible students. Work is judged on the work alone: the strength of the story, the quality of the research behind it, and the craft of the filmmaking.
The awards
$2,000
The Jane Work Memorial Scholarship
$1,200
$800
Amounts shown are minimums for the 2026–27 cycle — the purse can grow with donor support before entries open. Winners are honored at a reception at the Arts Club of Washington and winning works are screened for members and guests.
Eligibility
The film
Judging
Films are evaluated by an independent panel of professional filmmakers and documentary experts on five criteria:
A clear, disciplined narrative that earns the audience's attention.
Depth of reporting, accuracy, and fairness to the people on screen.
Cinematography, sound, editing, production values.
A subject found with genuine curiosity — a film only its maker could have made.
Command of the form — observation, structure, and letting the story speak.
Content guidelines
