Each year, Duke University awards Benenson Awards in the Arts, which provide funding for arts-centered projects proposed by undergraduates, including graduating seniors. This year, the Student Arts Award Committee awarded prizes to fifteen students for creative projects spanning film, music, visual art, art and design, theater and creative writing.
The largest number of applications we receive continue to be from graduating seniors applying to evolve/expand their distinction projects or prepare new work in anticipation of post-Duke opportunities. This year we also received strong proposals from rising seniors hoping to experience intensive workshops or engage creative research in anticipation of future artistic work. One piece of advice I would have for interested students is to plan ahead and seek advice about opportunities and proposal writing from trusted arts mentors. Also, look into the Duke Arts Studio opportunity, which is a great way to build your portfolios and your artistic philosophy to use when applying for Benenson funding.
Jules Odendahl-James, Ph.D, M.F.A.
Chair, Student Arts Awards Committee
Class of 2027
Major: Economics
Minor: Cinematic Arts
Class of 2025
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Cinematic Arts
Class of 2026
Majors: Literature (Global Culture and Theory) & Computer Science
Class of 2024
Major: Sociology
Minor: Visual Media Studies
Certificate: Documentary Studies
Class of 2025
Major: Environmental Humanities & Multimedia, AB (Program II)
Class of 2024
Major: Visual Media Studies with a Cinematic Arts concentration and German
Minor: Chemistry
Certificate: Documentary Studies
Class of 2024
Major: Cultural Anthropology
Minor: Asian American and Diaspora Studies
Certificate: Documentary Studies
Photo of huiyin’s project
Class of 2024
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class of 2027
Major: Philosophy and Music
Class of 2025
Majors: Biology with a concentration in Cell & Molecular Biology
Minors: Chemistry and Global Health
Class of 2024
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class of 2025
Major: Environmental Science and Policy
Minors: Visual Media Studies and Computational Media
Class of 2024
Major: Theater Studies
Minors: Biology and Japanese
Photo of Ivy’s project
Class of 2024
Major: Global Culture & Theory from the Program in Literature
Class of 2025
Major: Music with a concentration in piano performance
Minor: Psychology