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The 2026 SVA Alumni Scholarship Awards winners have been announced, with 92 thesis and portfolio projects out of 252 applications receiving a total of $62,500. This support helps members of the class of 2026 realize their visions by providing both material and emotional support during the demanding final stretch of thesis work and the transition from graduation into professional life.

Established in 1999, the Alumni Scholarship Awards are presented annually to SVA students. Each year, the SVA Alumni Society—an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit—administers 25 scholarships and award funds, including the Alumni Scholarship Awards program, distributing funding to distinguished undergraduate and graduate students working across a variety of disciplines. A jury of alumni working creative professionals adjudicates the awards.

“The SVA Alumni Society’s Alumni Scholarship Awards are transformative for our students as they complete their final projects and their time at SVA,” says Jane Nuzzo, director of SVA Alumni Affairs and Development. “More than just monetary support, the scholarships bolster students’ self-confidence as they push to the finish line.”

For BFA Comics senior Lila Ozture—whose thesis project, Octina, is a hardcover comic about a half-girl/half-octopus living in an abandoned lighthouse with a mother she’s never met—the award affirms the value of personal storytelling.

“This project is very personal to me, and to receive funding for it makes being vulnerable in writing so worth it.”

For BFA Illustration senior Crystal Bao, the award supports the expansion of City of Misfits, a thesis project inspired by New York City and its many collisions of identity, culture, and perspective. In the work, humans and monsters coexist, with the monsters symbolizing misunderstood identities, hidden emotions, and the parts of ourselves that society often marginalizes.

“Receiving the SVA Alumni Scholarship Award for City of Misfits affirms that the project resonates beyond the illustration department,” Bao says. “This scholarship allows me to expand the scale and ambition of the thesis by investing in production, materials, and presentation so the world feels immersive and fully realized.”

Mosab Mohamedelamin (Abushama), an MFA Photography, Video, and Related Media student, describes the award as both an encouragement and a responsibility. His project, Tadween, is a two-volume documentary photobook that assembles a community collective memory of Sudan (before and during the war) through phone images, maps, dates, and diary notes.

“This scholarship means a great deal to me. . . . I see this scholarship not only as recognition, but as a responsibility,” he says. “It gives me the support and confidence to complete the project in the most thoughtful, rigorous, and honest way possible.”

MPS Digital Photography student Iris Lang says the award helps sustain a process-driven practice that depends on experimentation. Her project, The Shape of Absence, explores the emotional transformation and the gradual process of forgetting her father since his passing.

“My project relies on experimental processes—including Polaroid emulsion lifts, layered printing, and video interviews—that require significant testing, materials, and production time,” Lang says. “Financial support allows me to focus more deeply on research and experimentation rather than cost.”

A 2D experimental animation short, The Flauna Friseurin, follows a young boy suffering a devastating illness and slowly leaving the world, and is the work of BFA Animation student Eni Xu. Xu emphasizes how the scholarship expands what feels creatively possible.

“This scholarship means I can push further for new creative heights, unravel my true vulnerable story, and bring a whimsical world to life through my film,” she says. “This feels like a dream come true as I continue building mileage on my artistic journey and pave out my career.”

Nuzzo also highlights the alumni jury’s role in making the program possible. “This awards program would not be possible without our alumni jury, who enthusiastically reviewed over 250 applications,” she says. “We are deeply grateful for the time and expertise they dedicate to selecting this year’s recipients.”

For the complete list of 2026 Alumni Scholarship Award recipients, click here. To donate to the SVA Alumni Society, click here. 100% of your donation goes directly to students. For more information about the SVA Alumni Society and its scholarships, visit svaalumnisociety.org (including its award funds) or email alumnisociety@sva.edu.