Information for Scholarship Recipients

Procedures for Scholarship Winners

Scholarship winners may take their award in either the year named or the following year. In your award letter, you will be given a registration code. Winners are responsible for using this code to register on the Costume College registration webpage. Once you have used this code, you are subject to all rules of other registered students. Costume College Scholarships have no cash value, so you will not be eligible for a refund. If your award includes a hotel room (as stated in your award letter), you are responsible for making a reservation with the hotel and forwarding that registration number to our hotel liaison. You may wish to share a room with another scholarship winner to combine your hotel night awards.

Scholarships Terms and Conditions

Scholarship recipients must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and intend to attend Costume College in Los Angeles, California, USA within the next two (2) calendar years. Costume College scholarships may not be transferred, deferred, extended, or exchanged for any type of monetary compensation. Scholarships are awarded at the sole discretion of Costumer’s Guild West, Inc, and may be revoked by that body at any time.

Essay Scholarships:

Applicants are required to fill out the “Scholarship Application” form on the Costumers Guild website during the open application period, including uploading an original essay and several pictures. They are also strongly encouraged to submit a letter of recommendation. Essay scholarships are awarded based on the essay and the applicant’s qualifications. The number of essay scholarships varies by year, but there is always at least one (1) scholarship reserved for a self-identified BIPOC candidate and one (1) for a Young Adult candidate (defined as an applicant 18-25 years of age).

Event Scholarships:

CGW awards scholarships for outstanding costumes at several events throughout the year. These events often include pop culture convention masquerades in the United States and the costume display at the LA County Fair. Recipients of event scholarships must follow all inclusion guidelines for the event they appear in. Event scholarships are awarded by in-person examination of the costume entries by judges appointed by CGW.

Service Scholarships:

CGW awards scholarships for outstanding service to the Guild. These scholarships are awarded at the discretion of the CGW Board of Directors.

Scholarship Redemption and Forfeiture:

All Costume College scholarships are valid for either the year they are dated OR the year afterward. A scholarship may only be redeemed once. If a recipient redeems a scholarship and registers for Costume College but later becomes unable to attend, they may inform the registrar and return their award to “unredeemed” status, with the exception of the CGW membership portion of the award. This option is only available before the registration refund deadline for that year’s Costume College. If the refund deadline has passed, the scholarship is forfeited.

Scholarships may not be deferred or extended. They are valid only for the two years specified on the award. Recipients who cancel their registration before attending do not extend the available duration of their award.

Scholarship recipients may hold only one (1) scholarship award at a time. Current award holders should not apply for another scholarship of any type until their scholarship has been redeemed or has expired. If a recipient is given a second award in error, it will be revoked.

Scholarship recipients agree to follow all rules and policies of CGW while in attendance at CGW events. Scholarships may be revoked at any time by the Board of Directors of CGW Inc.