The National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) is a nonprofit volunteer organization. Since 1944, it has recognized and encouraged young artists by sponsoring competitions and scholarships. They offer significant monetary awards of up to $12,000, and the opportunity to be judged by nationally-known professionals in each field. The NSAL competitions include the National Awards Competition, which rotates each year between Drama, Musical Theater, Dance, and Instrumental Music. The Martorella Scholarship in Classical Voice is opening to emerging artists between the ages of 23 and 31. The Winston Two-Dimensional Visual Art Scholarship and the Winston Classical Voice Scholarship support the training of young artists between the ages of 16 and 22. The NSAL Writing Scholarship in Short Story is open to young writers between the ages of 16 and 22. The Saint Louis Chapter of NSAL also offers Artist Support grants of up to $1,000. For more information, including age eligibility and application deadlines, click on the links above.
More information about the National Society of Arts and Letters, and the many ways in which it supports emerging talent in the creative and performing arts, may be found in the National Website, https://arts-nsalnatl.org.
The next National Awards Competition will be in Drama. Applications for the Chapter-level competition will be available on the Competitions page when available. Every Chapter first-place winner will compete in the National competition in May 2027.
Please click on the links at left to connect to site pages with more information, including chapter application deadlines.

Esley Hamilton, Past Preservation Historian for St. Louis County Parks, is a noted expert on the topic of architectural history. Among his many awards, he received an honorary doctorate in letters from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. On March 24, 2026, he presented a talk at the St. Louis Central Public Library on "William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement in America." The talk was sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians.

Dr. Jeanne Zarucchi is Professor of Art History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. On May 15, 2026, she gave a Members Lecture at the Saint Louis Art Museum on "Journeys of the Imagination."