2025 Travel Scholarship Contest Theme: Outside the Comfort Zone At Encore, we believe that performance travel is a transformative experience — particularly for our student groups. More often than not, changing your physical location means stepping beyond what you already know and taking a risk. What does traveling outside your comfort zone mean to you? The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025. Eligibility The travel scholarship contest is open to US students aged 11–20 interested in performance tours or educational travel. Prizes Winners will receive a credit off their current Encore tour, or an Encore travel voucher for money off a 2025-2026 tour. One Grand Prize: $2,500 ACIS/Encore Travel Scholarship Certificate Five Runner-Ups: $1,000 ACIS/Encore Travel Scholarship Certificate Entries Entries can come in any form, art, photography, essay, poem, video, song, or anything else you can think of! How to Enter Students must submit a Student Scholarship Entry Form with their entry. They may mail their entry to ACIS Scholarship, 330 Congress St, Suite 5, Boston, MA 02210, or email it to contest@acis.com. Video or song entries should be posted on YouTube and the link to the video must be included on your entry form. Writing entries should be a maximum of one page, and video or song entries should be a maximum of three minutes. All entries must be the original work of the student. Travel Scholarship Form Student Scholarship Entry Form (PDF) Send your entry to: contest@acis.com orEncore Tours Scholarship330 Congress Street, Suite 5Boston, MA 02210 Have Questions? For the quickest response, use our online chat. Or, you may email contest@encoretours.com. Scholarship Winners View the winning submissions of our 2024 scholarship recipients! View Winners Frequently Asked Questions Discover the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this scholarship contest, and make sure to check out our fundraising hub for a mix of innovative and traditional methods of raising money for your next performance tour. What is the Encore Travel Scholarship Contest? The Encore Travel Scholarship competition offers students the chance to be rewarded for their creative expression and interest in the world. Who is eligible? The contest is open to US students who are 11-20 years old and interested in educational travel. How do I enter? Students must submit a Student Scholarship Entry Form with their entry. They may mail their entry to Encore Scholarship, 330 Congress St, Suite 5, Boston, MA 02210, or email it to contest@encoretours.com. Video or song entries should be posted on YouTube and the link to the video must be included on your entry form. Writing entries should be a maximum of one page and video or song entries should be a maximum of three minutes. All entries must be the original work of the student. Any incomplete or unsigned Student Scholarship Entry Forms will not be accepted. The Scholarship Contest deadline is January 31, 2025 (postmark). Where do I send my entry? Email your entry and form to contest@encoretours.com, or mail them to: Encore Travel Scholarship 330 Congress Street, Suite 5 Boston, MA 02210. What are the entry guidelines? Our judges are preparing to be dazzled by your creativity. We will accept art, photography, essays, poems, videos, songs, or any other type of artistic expression you can think of that relates to our theme. Writing entries should be a maximum of one page and video or song entries should be a maximum of three minutes. For artwork, we will accept either original artwork or reproductions (i.e. color photocopies or black and white copies of drawings), as entries will not be returned. Will my entry be returned? Entries become property of Encore and cannot be returned for any reason. We understand your desire to keep original artwork, and encourage you to submit high-quality copies. How are the entries judged? Entries will be judged on creativity and originality in expressing an idea related to the theme. All judges’ decisions will be final. What is an ACIS/Encore Travel Scholarship Certificate? ACIS/Encore Travel Scholarship Certificates are scholarships that may be used toward any Encore program. Winners may deduct their scholarship prize from their Encore trip fee. When will the winners be announced? Awards for the 2025 contest will be announced (and posted online) by the end of February 2025. Winners will be sent written notification along with their ACIS/Encore Travel Scholarship Certificates. Only winning entrants will be contacted. What if I win a scholarship and I have already paid in full for my trip? If you have already paid for your trip and you are awarded a scholarship, you will receive a refund from our Traveler Support team. If you have any specific questions regarding your account, our Traveler Support team is available via chat and questions@encoretours.com. Who do I contact with additional questions? Use our online chat feature for the fastest response. Or you can email contest@encoretours.com.