Award of Scholarships to Young Artists in Different Cultural Fields

What is the Award of Scholarships to Young Artists?

The Award of Scholarships to Young Artists in Different Cultural Fields is a scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Culture that supports young artists of outstanding promise for advanced training within India. According to the Ministry of Culture, the scheme covers Indian classical music (both Hindustani and Carnatic), Indian classical dance, theatre, mime, visual arts, folk, traditional and indigenous arts, and light classical music such as Thumri, Qawwali, Ghazal and Rabindra Sangeet.

The scheme provides a scholarship of Rs 5,000 per month for two years, paid in four equal six-monthly instalments. A total of Rs 1,20,000 per scholar. The support is meant to help a young artist meet the cost of advanced training, including fees, travel, books and materials, during a formative stage of their development.

Around 400 scholarships are awarded every year across all the covered fields. The scheme is administered with the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), through which applications are received and processed.

This is a niche, merit-based scholarship for a small pool of already-trained young artists. It is not a general student scholarship and it is not for beginners.

Who is eligible for the Young Artists scholarship?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian national.
• Your age is between 18 and 25 years as on 1 April of the year in which you apply.
• You have already undergone a minimum of five years of training with a Guru or recognised institute in your chosen field.
• You have acquired a degree of proficiency and have adequate knowledge of the connected arts and disciplines. For visual artists, the minimum qualification is a BFA.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 18 or above 25 as on 1 April of the application year; age relaxation is not permitted for any category.
• You are a beginner or cannot show five years of prior training. The scholarship is for advanced training only.
• You are not an Indian national.

What are the benefits?

The scheme pays Rs 5,000 per month for two years, released in four equal six-monthly instalments, adding up to Rs 1,20,000 over the scholarship period. According to the Ministry of Culture, the support is intended to help the scholar meet the costs associated with advanced training — including training fees, travel, books and materials, so that a promising young artist can concentrate on developing their art.

Beyond the money, being selected as a national scholar in a cultural field is itself a recognition of merit that can help a young artist build a career.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Young Artists scholarship

1. Check the CCRT/Ministry of Culture notice. Applications open through the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (ccrtindia.gov.in). Confirm the current year's application window and instructions.
2. Confirm your eligibility. Ensure you are an Indian national aged 18 to 25 as on 1 April of the application year, with at least five years of training in your chosen field.
3. Register and fill the online application on the CCRT portal, selecting your cultural field and providing your training and academic details.
4. Upload the required documents: age proof, training certificates, educational certificates and photograph (and samples of work if you are a visual artist).
5. Submit the application and keep the acknowledgement/reference for your records.
6. Appear for the interview or performance. Shortlisted candidates are called before an expert committee for an interview or performance; selection is purely on merit. Results are published on the Ministry of Culture website and selected candidates are informed.

Points to keep in mind

The scheme is strictly merit-based and limited to advanced-stage young artists. The age limit of 18 to 25 as on 1 April is applied without relaxation, and the five-year training requirement is a genuine gate, this is not a scholarship for beginners. Because the intake is fixed at roughly 400 across all fields each year, selection is competitive.

Applicants should rely on the current year's notice on the CCRT and Ministry of Culture websites for the exact application window, form and document requirements, as these are issued afresh each cycle. The Ministry of Culture and CCRT are the authoritative sources for this scheme; queries can be directed to the Section Officer (Scholarship & Fellowship) at the Ministry of Culture or to the CCRT.

How to check your application status

There is no dedicated online tracking dashboard for this scholarship, so you need to follow up through a mix of the CCRT portal, the acknowledgement you received, and direct contact.

1. Check the acknowledgement first. When you submitted the online form on the CCRT portal (ccrtindia.gov.in), you should have received an application number or acknowledgement message. Keep this safe, it is the reference you will quote in every follow-up.
2. Watch the CCRT and Ministry of Culture websites for the shortlist. Because selection runs through an interview or performance before an expert committee, the first status update most applicants get is a shortlist notice published on ccrtindia.gov.in or culture.gov.in, not a personal message. Check these pages periodically during the scholarship cycle rather than expecting a proactive update for every applicant.
3. Call the helpline for a manual check. If the shortlist window has passed and you have not heard anything, call 011-24642133 and quote your application number, name, cultural field and the year you applied. Since this is a small, centrally processed scheme, a phone or written query is often the fastest way to get a real answer.
4. Write in if the call does not resolve it. A written query addressed to the Section Officer (Scholarship & Fellowship), Ministry of Culture, referencing your application details, is the fallback route if the helpline cannot confirm your status.
5. After the interview or performance, watch for the results notice. Selection results are published on the Ministry of Culture website. Selected candidates are informed separately; if your name does not appear and you were shortlisted, it is worth confirming with the Ministry or CCRT rather than assuming your file was lost.
6. Once selected, track your instalments separately. The scholarship is paid in four equal six-monthly instalments over two years. If a due instalment does not arrive, raise it with CCRT/the Ministry using your scholar reference rather than the original application number.

Common reasons for rejection

• Age outside the 18 to 25 window as on 1 April. This is checked strictly against the application year's cut-off date, and no relaxation is given for any category. Applicants sometimes miscalculate by using their age at the time of submission rather than at 1 April; recompute carefully before applying, and if you are close to either boundary, apply in the cycle where you clearly qualify.
• Cannot show five years of prior training. The scholarship is for advanced training, not for beginners, so a thin or recent training record is a common ground for rejection. Fix: gather certificates from every Guru or institute you trained under, covering the full five years continuously, not just your most recent teacher.
• Training certificates that don't establish continuity or come from unrecognised sources. A single, vague letter is weaker than a set of dated certificates from named Gurus or institutes. Fix: ask each institute or Guru for a specific certificate stating the duration and nature of training, rather than relying on a general character certificate.
• Visual artists without the minimum BFA qualification, or without proper work samples. For the visual arts category, a BFA (or equivalent) is the baseline, and photographs of original work help the committee assess proficiency. Fix: confirm your degree meets the stated minimum before applying, and submit clear, well-labelled photographs of genuine original works, not reproductions or group projects.