Grant winners will receive:

• Up to $2000 to support travel and related costs
• A complimentary full conference registration for the 2025 Annual Conference & Stage Expo

Student International Endeavors award support expenses such as:

• Conference Registrations
• Admissions
• Tickets
• Passport or visa expenses
• Travel fare
• Accommodation
• Per diem (food and other daily expenses)
• Study abroad tuition

Grant supports travel of:

• US students to international theatre opportunities, including conferences, festivals, exhibitions including Prague Quadrennial, World Stage Design, or similar events, and study abroad.
• Non-US students to attend USITT Annual Conference and Stage Expo
• Any student selected to be an ambassador/host for a USITT international guest

Applicant must be one of the following:

Applicant must be a current USITT student member.

Applicant must be nominated by a current USITT member.

Applicant must be studying any area of theatrical design, technology, management, or production at the undergraduate or graduate level.

Funding may not be applied to expenses incurred before January 1, 2025

Grant-funded activities must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Recipients of a Student International Endeavors award may not reapply for a Student International Endeavors award in a future cycle.

Recipients of the USITT International Travel Grant are not eligible for this award.

One grant of up to $2000 will be awarded annually.

Funding may not be applied to expenses incurred before January 1, 2025.

Grant-funded activities must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Funds will be paid directly to the applicant in 2 installments: 75% at time of award verification document submission and 25% upon submission of all reporting documents.

Grants will cover up to 100% of eligible expenses, not exceeding $2000; no matching funds are required. Additional expenses to complete the project are the responsibility of the awardee.

Eligible expenses include but are not limited to:

• Conference registration fees
• Event admissions or tickets
• Festival admission
• Passport or visa expenses
• Hotel or lodging fees
• Transportation fare: airplane, train, bus, parking
• Meals
• Study abroad tuition

Ineligible Expenses:

• Domestic travel for events in the United States
• Domestic training/tuition fees
• Purchase of online/digital learning materials

Applications Open: September 12, 2024

Applications Close: October 31, 2024 (11:59 PM EDT)

Review Period: November-December 2024

Award Notifications: January 2025

Read all guidelines carefully before submitting your nomination.

Current USITT student members may apply throughUSITT’s awards portal.

Applicants will be asked to provide their membership number which can be found by logging into the membership portal

Required Materials:

Nominated students will be required to provide:

• Current contact information: name, email, and phone number
• Educational Information: Current college/university, year of study, anticipated degree
• Resume/CV
• Representative work samples from applicant’s area of theatre/production (e.g. design photos, renderings, paperwork)
• Narrative Statement
• Explanation of proposed travel and activities
• This narrative may be submitted in written format, audio recording, or video recording.
• Project Budget
• Budget may be uploaded in EXCEL format OR input directly to application form.
• Please include the proposed budget for the entire project, indicating what portions of the budget would use USITT funds if awarded.
• Letter of Recommendation
• Applicant will be asked to provide name and email of a contact who will provide a letter of recommendation.
• This person may be a faculty member, mentor, boss, or advisor who can speak to the value of this opportunity for the applicant.
• Recommender will be emailed a link to upload their letter directly to the portal.

All USITT award nominees are required to submit a Professional Conduct Disclosure Form. This form will not be visible to the award jury and will only be reviewed by the USITT Ethics Officer.

This form is part of the submission and your submission will not be considered complete if it has not been submitted.

A link to this form will be emailed to the nominee upon submission of the nomination form. This email will NOT disclose which honor they have been nominated for.

For more information, please review the USITT Honors and Awards Policy.

All nominations for the Student International Endeavors Award will be reviewed by members of the International Activities Committee.

No current USITT staff member may serve as a juror. Any reviewer with a conflict of interest is required to recuse themselves.

All submissions will be scored on a scale of 1-10 using the following criteria:

• Applicant indicates a joy in exploring and widening their worldview.
• Applicant shows a strong desire to pursue a career in theatre design, technology, management, or production.
• Nomination letter provides insight on applicant’s curiosity, level of commitment to the field, and the value of this opportunity.
• Budget is clear and indicates appropriate plans for funds
• Narrative is clear and well thought out.

Judging process is overseen by the USITT Awards Committee and results are approved by the Board of Directors.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their requests after the Board of Directors has approved the results.

The awarded applicant will receive an agreement explaining terms and conditions. The first 75% of the grant will be disbursed upon receiving a signed agreement, and W9 form, and an updated budget that reflects the specific allocation of funds granted by USITT, with any derivations from the application budget noted.

The remaining 25% of the grant will be disbursed upon receipt of the grantee’s final report after completion of the awarded travel and activity. The report should include a record of costs applied to the award and a summary of the travel activities. Any significant changes to the project should be discussed with USITT staff prior to submitting a progress report. All grant-funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

All documentation must be uploaded through the Awards Portal and completed by July 15, 2026.

Applicants will also be required to share their experience with the USITT membership. This can be through a presentation at the USITT Annual Conference, a blog post or article on the USITT website, a podcast interview, or a video vlog. Applicants will work with National Office staff and the International Activities Committee to determine the best format for this report.

Funding for this award is generously provided by Alexandra B. Bonds

Alexandra Bonds is Professor Emerita of Costume Design for the University of Oregon and has been active in USITT since 1985. An award-winning designer, her costumes have been included in the USITT USA PQ National Exhibitions four times, the WSD in Korea and Cardiff, and Costume Design at the Turn of the Century 1990-2015 in Moscow, Russia in 2015. While USITT Vice President for International Activities, she was the Commissioner /Project Leader for the USITT USA exhibitions to PQ 2003, 2007, and 2011. She now is the Chair of the newly formed PQ Advisory and Advocacy Group to share information among the members of PQ teams past and present. An advocate for international visibility of theatre design, she was also a curator for the USA entries for Costume Design at the Turn of the Century and Innovative Costume: The Next Generation, and the Jury Director for selections and awards for the original WSD in Toronto in 2005 and again for the latest WSD in Calgary 2022. While Chair of the International Activities Committee, she initiated the Student and Member/Professional International Travel Grants, the Artist Exchange Grant, and invited prestigious international designers to present at our conferences. She is the author of Beijing Opera Costumes: the Visual Communication of Character and Culture, the Golden Pen-winning investigation of these costumes in context with Chinese textile and clothing traditions. USITT supported this research with an Edward F. Kook award. A Fellow of USITT, she has received the Joel E. Rubin Founder’s Award for her dedication to increasing internationalism in USITT. With this award, she honors her parents for initiating her passion for global traveling and understanding.