Prizes, Grants and Opportunities
PRIZES, GRANTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Alexis Gregory Undergraduate Internship and Travel Fund
The Alexis Gregory Internship, made possible by The Alexis Gregory Foundation, supports exploration, scholarship, and research in the field of European visual arts, with an emphasis on, but not limited to, the Renaissance. Born in Switzerland to Russian parents, Alexis Gregory (1936-2000) was educated in the United States but spent time in Europe from a young age. In his twenties he began to collect European art, and throughout his life supported the Harvard Art Museums, as well as other arts and culture organizations. He believed deeply in the study of art to better understand history, culture, and society. He was particularly attached to later Renaissance and Baroque art made in Italy. Gregory’s time as an undergraduate at Harvard (class of 1957) was foundational. He studied with Professor Sydney J. Freedberg, and as preparation for his Senior Thesis, traveled to Venice, Padua, Florence, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, and London. The funds for the Alexis Gregory Undergraduate Internship will allow other Harvard undergraduates a similar experience.
The Gregory internship consists of two parts:
- A spring semester internship opportunity to research the collections at the Harvard Art Museums. The proposed project must make use of the museums’ collections of works created in Europe between 1400 and 1900. Recipients must commit to up to 10 hours a week of paid work, at an hourly rate of $16. This is intended to take place in addition to a student’s normal semester classwork and does not count towards class credit. The Gregory Intern will learn skills associated with work in an art museum, especially curatorial work, and will meet regularly with their assigned supervising curator and with other museum staff, exploring their designated area of interest and planning for the travel portion of their internship. The student will also meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History of Art and Architecture to discuss the research and travel.
- Summer travel. This may focus on the student’s senior thesis project or planned research for the next academic year, or relate to research on Harvard’s collections. The Gregory Intern is encouraged to travel widely in Europe, familiarizing themselves with museum collections and, where possible, meeting mentors in the field. Art history is predicated on first-hand interactions with art and curators and scholars: the Gregory internship can provide a personal and career-defining experience for the recipient.
The Alexis Gregory Undergraduate Internship and Travel Fund is open to Harvard sophomores, juniors, or seniors, concentrating (jointly, doubly, or fully) in History of Art and Architecture.
Preference will be given to students who are resourceful, mature, and independent and have not traveled extensively in Europe. The Harvard Art Museums value diversity and are committed to building a culturally-diverse community. We encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
At the end of their travels, the Gregory Intern must submit a narrative statement (maximum five pages double spaced) about their research and travel, as well as a 7-10 minute video diary, which may (with their permission) be posted on the websites of the Harvard Art Museums and the Department of History of Art and Architecture or used for other purposes, including sharing with the donor of the internship.
To apply, please submit, as a single PDF:
- A three-page (max) double-spaced application outlining the student’s desired collection area or areas to explore at the Harvard Art Museums and imagined outcome of that research and an outline of a travel plan for the summer portion of the internship.
- A one-page resume; for how to create this see: https://careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/channels/create-a-resume-cv-or-cover-letter/#uc_resource_tiles-4
- A current unofficial transcript (please download from https://my.harvard.edu/)
- One letter of reference from a faculty member in the Department of History of Art and Architecture who also agrees to help support the student and review travel plans.
- A one-page skeleton budget for travel. In general, the Gregory Fellowship will provide $5,000-$10,000 (the amount depends on countries visited) for eight weeks of travel in Europe. Additional funds may be possible. While it is hoped that the applicant can find less expensive accommodation (such as dormitory-style student accommodation), we recognize that using Maximum Lodging Rates set by the US Department of State may be necessary for travel in Europe in the summer months. To determine maximum rates for lodging please consult here: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates
- You must also identify your destination’s travel risk rating - students may not travel to countries or regions within countries where the risk rating is “high”. https://www.globalsupport.harvard.edu/travel/risk-ratings
Completed applications should be submitted via email by November 21, 2025, to Marcus Mayo (marcus_mayo@fas.harvard.edu), Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the Department of History of Art and Architecture. The selection committee (comprising Harvard Art Museums curators and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History of Art and Architecture or other HAA faculty and museum staff) will read applications and select a finalist. An interview with a museum curator may be part of the selection process. We will announce the recipient of the Gregory Internship and Travel Fund by the of the fall semester. The museum portion of the internship will start after Winter Recess.
The Matthew Abramson '96 Prize for Best Senior Thesis in History of Art and Architecture
The Matthew Abramson '96 Prize is awarded by faculty vote of the Department of History of Art and Architecture to the one student of this department whose thesis has been determined as "Best Senior Thesis" as based primarily upon the combined numerical score of the grades submitted by all readers, with subsequent discussion and vote in the department honors meeting.
In the Academic Year, 1999-2000, The Department of History of Art and Architecture was first able to award a newly endowed departmental prize for senior thesis writing. Matthew Abramson, a History of Art and Architecture Concentrator of the Harvard College Class of '96 felt strongly of the significance and personal reward gained through the research and writing of a Senior Honors Thesis. As a gesture to encourage following concentrators to engage in this endeavor, he established an endowment to provide a prize to be awarded annually to that student whose thesis has been judged 'Best Written' as determined through discussion and vote by the faculty of this department. The decision for this prize is made by the faculty in the final meeting of the year when honors recommendations are discussed.
Click here for details of previous Matthew Abramson Prize winners
The Matthew Abramson '96 Traveling Fellowship
An endowed fund established by the Abramson family in honor of the memory of their son, to support travel for thesis research in the Department of History of Art and Architecture. Administered by the Department of History of Art and Architecture.
The Joseph Pulitzer. Jr. '36 Beneficiary Aid Fund
The Pulitzer Fund supports thesis writers in the History of Art and Architecture Department who need to travel during their senior year to complete their thesis research. Administered by the Department of History of Art and Architecture.
The Claire Martin Fairman History of Art and Architecture Undergraduate Thesis Prize
A bequest from the Estate of Claire Martin Fairman and the gifts of the Fairman family establish the Claire Martin Fairman History of Art and Architecture Undergraduate Thesis Prize in memory of Claire Martin Fairman, AB 1954. The Fairman Prize will be awarded to that thesis which is found, by faculty vote, to be most worthy, and of a topic focusing on modern art.
Click here for details of previous Claire Martin Fairman Prize winners
James Sloss Ackerman Senior Thesis Prize in Architecture
The prize is awarded to a senior thesis of the highest merit on a topic in the history, theory, and/or design of architecture. The award is voted by the Department of History of Art and Architecture faculty at its annual honors meeting. The wide range of subjects and approaches to the study of architecture, across fields and time periods, appropriately reflects the legacy of Professor James Sloss Ackerman (1919-2016) and his rigorous and innovative scholarship. Ackerman joined the Faculty at Harvard University in 1960, where he taught and advised generations of students and served as the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Fine Arts from 1983 until his retirement in 1990. His methodology situated architecture within the broader contexts of cultural and intellectual history. From the mid-1960s, Ackerman was the most widely read architectural historian in America, and his seminal studies on Michelangelo (1961-64) and Palladio (1964) appealed to both specialists and non-specialists alike. Ackerman’s last book, Origins, Invention, Revision: Studying the History of Art and Architecture (2016), presented essays on diverse topics including reflections on his own interest in architecture which was formed through his military service in Italy in World War II. During his career, Ackerman received many prestigious honors and awards, culminating in 2001 with the Balzan Prize for achievement in architectural history and urbanism and the Paul Kristeller citation of the Renaissance Society of America for lifetime achievement.
The James Sloss Ackerman Senior Thesis Prize in Architecture is supported through a gift made by Ackerman’s family, friends, students, and colleagues.
Click here for details of previous James Sloss Ackerman Prize winners
URAF Fellowships
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships administers more than 30 fellowship competitions annually, for both prestigious national fellowships and scholarships as well as Harvard fellowships, which are open to Harvard College undergraduates. Their wider mission is to demystify and facilitate access to research and fellowships opportunities for Harvard College students, regardless of background
CARAT Database for Grants and Fellowships
The CARAT Database for Grants and Fellowships is an electronic tool for both Harvard students and external applicants to submit research, public service, study abroad, and purposeful travel application or funding requests for such opportunities among over fifty different university funding sources.
Harvard Prizes Office
The Harvard Prizes Office provide information on thesis and paper prizes offered at the College, as well as details on how to apply.
Student Employment Office
Learn more about working as a Harvard student, and search employment opportunities, through the Student Employment Office.
The Mignone Center for Career Success
The Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) empowers students to identify, explore, and achieve their career and professional goals, wherever they may lead. They provide both regular workshops as well as one-on-one advising to help with your career search.