The largest scholarships that are available for non-academic activities that qualify as hobbies are for sports. Because sports like collegiate basketball and football have become big money-makers for colleges, the sizes of some of these grants just keeps growing. But there are sports that may not enjoy the same wide popularity that sometimes offer scholarships, too. The American Legion awards scholarships for baseball. The American Water Ski Educational Foundation awards scholarships for water skiers. The Billy Welu Bowling Scholarship is available to highly proficient bowlers. Scholarships are also offered for archery, harness racing, surfing and golf.
Among families who enjoy hunting waterfowl, youngsters may have picked up the art of duck calling. This actually involves understanding the habits of wild ducks and how to use the various calls with the correct volume, tempo and cadence. High school seniors who speak mallard and teal can participate in the annual Chick and Sophie Major duck calling contest in Stuttgart, Arkansas, to win scholarships from $500 to $2,000.
Economically disadvantaged students who like to make visual art can apply for the World Studio AIGA Art Scholarship. As long as you are an undergraduate with a major in fine arts, and you can show need, you can apply for anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 a year. One of the criteria is “social responsibility,” so in addition to need and talent, a record of community service, especially using your talents for community service, will give you an advantage in application.
If you are a skateboarder with some writing skills and a high school senior, you may want to contend for one of the four annual Patrick Kerr Scholarships, from $1,000 to $5,000. You need to have applied for college and be a United States citizen. The scholarship application requires at least a 2.5 GPA and an essay describing how skateboarding has positively influenced your life. There is an additional advantage if you can show that you have promoted skateboarding in your community.
If your hobbies run to the gastronomic, write down your best apple pie recipe and send it along to the Culinary Institute of America with a photograph of a completed pie. The recipe has to be original and accompanied by a short essay about apples. You also have to send in a $50 application fee. But if you are selected, you can be awarded up to $25,000 in scholarship money.