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 Annual Awards Competition, which rotates each year between Drama, Musical Theater, Dance, and Instrumental Music. The Dorothy Lincoln Smith Classical Voice Competition is designed for emerging professionals in a highly competitive field. The Winston Two-Dimensional Visual Art Scholarship and the Winston Classical Voice Scholarship support the training of young artists. NSAL scholarships support summer intensive study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the NSAL Young Writers' Fund supports study at the Iowa Young Writers' Studio. 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, arts-nsal.org.
The next National Annual Awards Competition will be in Drama. Applications for the Chapter-level competition will be due on February 25, 2023. The Chapter winner will compete in the National competition in May 2023.
Chapter application deadlines for other NSAL competitions and scholarships will be due in early February 2023. Please click on the links at left to connect to site pages with more information about each one.
Klyde Ledamo received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of the Philippines and a Masters in Music (Piano Performance) from the Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, FL. He has received numerous awards for piano performance, and is now pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa. Klyde won First Place in the Saint Louis Chapter Competition and also Fourth Place in the National NSAL Competition in Chicago.
Sophia is a Brazilian-American soprano from Brooklyn, NY. She is completing her Masters degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA. In April 2022, she was a national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
Eric is a lyric bass from Buffalo, NY. He is currently a Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, PA. He earned a Masters in Voice Performance from DePaul University. In 2021, Eric was a finalist in the Monserrat Caballé International Singing Competition.
Maxine Victoria Adams is a senior at University City High school. Sadie Grace Malks is a junior at University City High School, and this is her second time as a Winston Scholarship chapter winner. Honorable Mentions were received by Lila Diana Gralnick, a senior at University City High School, and Sophie Lee Sowell, a senior at Lindbergh High School.
Zoë A. Meier graduated from Francis Howell North High School and is now a student at Missouri State University. Sydney Kearney Penny is from Needham, MA, and is a student at Harvard University.