Scholarship Applications

The scholarship application period for 2026 will open on January 1, 2026.

Submit your documents by March 31, 2026.

Application Overview

The American Wine Society Educational Foundation (AWSEF) annually awards academic scholarships to support students pursuing an academic program in enology, viticulture, and concerning business or health aspects of wine.

Eligibility (Please read carefully:  all requirements must be met)

1. Must be a full-time graduate student  

who has completed at least one semester in a graduate program leading to a M.S., Ph.D., or equivalent in enology, viticulture, business, or health aspects of wine, as stated above, and who expresses their intent to work in one of these areas upon completion of their graduate degree. Ph.D. students with an M.S. from another graduate program are eligible.

2. must be a North American citizen or permanent resident

(i.e., U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, and West Indies Islands, etc.) citizen or permanent resident who is already enrolled for their degree in a North American institution of higher learning.

 3.  There is a three (3) scholarship limit

Previous AWSEF scholarship recipients with updates to their ongoing research or who are working on another degree may apply for a second and then a third scholarship. They will apply in an open competition with new applicants. 

There is a three scholarship limit for any student during their academic career.

4.  March 31 deadline 

The deadline for completion of the application, submission of all transcripts, and all professor and professional recommendations is 11:59 PM EST on March 31.

Instructions on Submitting Applications

The application has three parts: 

  1. The student application form,
  2. Most recent academic transcripts (MS or Doctoral only, no undergraduate transcripts required UNLESS YOU ARE A FIRST-YEAR graduate student), and
  3. Three letters of recommendation.

Please DOWNLOAD the detailed instructions to prepare your application and gather the required documents.

Here are the steps (NOTE: IT’S CRITICAL THAT ALL OF THESE STEPS BE FOLLOWED EXACTLY TO ENSURE PROPER RECEIPT OF ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS BY THE AWSEF SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION COMMITTEE):

  1. STUDENTS: 
    • Register to create a New User account or Login as a Returning User – All users must register to create a new account before starting a scholarship application for 2026.  Ideally, use a Google account as the email address.
    • Start Application – Complete the online application form. It is required that you use a Google account email address.  Once you submit your online application form, you will receive access to a Google Drive that has been shared with your Google Account. You can either submit your essay text in the provided field or upload a PDF file at the time you submit your online application.  Alternatively, you can upload your essay as a PDF to the Google Drive at a later time, prior to March 31.
    • Finish Application – After you have submitted your online application form, you will receive access to a Google Drive.  When you receive the link to the Google Drive, change the access from Restricted to Anyone With The Link.  You can send this link to your university to upload your transcript and to your references to upload letters of recommendation.  All files must be uploaded by March 31. 
  2. RECOMMENDERS: Upload your recommendation as a PDF to the Google Drive using the link provided by the student.
  3. TRANSCRIPTS: Upload the student’s transcripts as a PDF to the Google Drive using the link provided by the student.

If you have any questions on these procedures, please contact Isabelle Lesschaeve at vpscholarships01@awsef.org for further assistance.

*The AWSEF does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or gender.
* The decisions of the Scholarship Committee will be final.

Apply Now