Abe Olman, for whom the scholarship program is named, was both a major figure in the music publishing community and a songwriter himself, in addition to being one of the founders of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Abe Olman Scholarship Award is given out each year, and is made possible by his family in the interest of encouraging and supporting the careers of young songwriters. Recipients of the award are selected by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
The Belmont University Songwriting Scholarship is awarded to Belmont University Songwriting majors who possess tangible exceptional songwriting potential and the intangible qualities of bringing out the best of their collaborators and contributing to the larger community of songwriters. Recipients are selected by the faculty of the Belmont Songwriting Department.
The NYU Steinhardt Songwriting Scholar Award is presented to a music composition student whose work holds great potential for success in the field, and embodies the art, craft, individuality and qualities of communication of the best songwriting.
The USC Thornton School of Music Scholar Award is given annually to a student songwriter who demonstrates exceptional professional potential through their art, craft and personal character as determined by the faculty of the Popular Music Program and Division of Contemporary Music. Presentations of the SHOF/USC Thornton School of Music Scholarship began in 2020, hosted by Founding Director of the Thornton School’s Popular Music Program, Chris Sampson.
The Curtis Mayfield Scholarship, funded by The Mayfield Estate, recognizes a promising singer/songwriter whose work reflects the inspiration, spirit and soul of Curtis Mayfield.
The recipient of the Bill Withers Scholarship, as intended by Marcia Withers and their daughter, singer/songwriter Kari Withers, is one whose work reflects the eloquence of songwriting together with the spirit and soul that defines the songs of Bill Withers.
The John Titta Scholarship recognizes a songwriter who shows exceptional potential through their art and craft and whose personal and professional character mirrors that of longtime respected musician, songwriter and industry executive, John Titta.
The Mac Davis "Song Painter" Scholarship, as envisioned by the Mac Davis Family, is awarded for work that reflects the authenticity, emotional clarity, and storytelling excellence that defined Mac Davis’s legacy — marked by the rare ability to not only make a listener feel, but to vividly see the world of a song, as mastered by “The Song Painter.” Recipients of the award are selected by Belmont University and USC Thornton School of Music.
The Songwriters of Tomorrow Scholarship is awarded to a high school senior attending a New York City public school, demonstrating the talent and desire to learn the craft of songwriting. The student is chosen based on an original song (lyrics and music), and the scholarship will extend an opportunity to pursue a career in music.
The Holly Prize is an award made possible by Songmasters and administered and juried by the SHOF as a tribute to the legacy of SHOF inductee Buddy Holly. The Holly Prize recognizes and supports a new “all-in-one songwriter “ - an exceptionally talented and inspired young musician/singer/songwriter whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly’s music: true, great and original.