AES Educational Foundation Opens 2026 Scholarships And Grants

The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has opened applications for the AES Educational Foundation’s 2026 scholarships and grants, inviting AES Student Members to apply by 15 May 2026.

Marking more than 75 years of AES's support for audio innovation and education, this year's programme introduces two new awards: the Olive Award for Excellence in Audio, honouring AES Fellow and Past President Sean Olive, and the William "Bil" Thomas VornDick Memorial Scholarship, commemorating the acclaimed recording engineer and educator.

Established in 1984, the AES Educational Foundation has funded graduate studies for hundreds of outstanding candidates who have gone on to notable careers across the audio industry. Awards are made annually to exemplary students committed to advancing the art and science of audio engineering, with recipients of named scholarships selected by the AESEF Scholarship Committee according to each award’s specific criteria.

Graduate studies scholarships include:

- Genelec Dr. Ilpo Martikainen Audio Visionary Scholarship: Launched in 2018 to coincide with Genelec’s 40th anniversary, this award supports U.S. graduate students in audio engineering who are AES members and demonstrate a passion for advancing audio through innovation and technology development.

- The John Eargle Award: Honours AES Past President and Fellow John Eargle—author of seminal audio textbooks and engineer on more than 250 albums, posthumously recognised with a Technical Grammy in 2008—and is presented to a student excelling in both technology and music.

- Nancy Flannery Memorial Scholarship: Sponsored by WSDG, the international architectural acoustics and media systems consultancy, this scholarship supports women pursuing advancement and studies in architectural acoustics.

- L‑Acoustics Dr. Christian Heil Future of Sound Scholarship: Recognises students who show curiosity and commitment to shaping the future of sound, including approaches that challenge convention or draw on scientific disciplines beyond audio. Applicants with undergraduate studies outside audio are encouraged, promoting cross‑disciplinary thinking.

- Garry Margolis Scholarship: Pays tribute to Garry Margolis—AES Life Fellow, former President and Treasurer, long‑time Board of Governors member, and 2019 recipient of the AES Distinguished Service Medal—reflecting his extensive contributions to audio, video and digital cinema.

- Genelec Mike Chafee Audio Pioneering Scholarship: Encourages passionate, high‑achieving women to continue their audio education while honouring Michael Chafee—veteran Genelec representative, audiophile, sound designer, acoustician and advocate for women in audio—credited as an early champion of Active Monitoring.

- The Emil Torick Award: Recognises an outstanding student with exceptional career goals and commemorates Emil Torick, founding AES Educational Foundation President, holder of 16 patents and author of more than 60 technical publications, who also served on key national and international radio standards bodies.

Undergraduate studies awards include:

- Olive Award for Excellence in Audio: Recognises an exceptional undergraduate in audio engineering, recording or sound production. In honour of Sean Olive—renowned sound quality and acoustics researcher and former AES President—the award supports continued academic achievement and nurtures the next generation of audio innovators and researchers.

- The Mary Lea Simpson Memorial Scholarship: Provides tuition support for a student entering the final year of an Audio Engineering or Recording Arts undergraduate programme at a North American college or university, commemorating Audio Production graduate Mary Lea Simpson.

- The William "Bil" Thomas VornDick Memorial Scholarship: Supports an undergraduate studying audio engineering and music production at an accredited programme in Tennessee. It celebrates Bil VornDick’s distinguished work in Nashville studios, his mentorship of developing engineers and his lifelong dedication to recording excellence.

Long‑standing support for AES Educational Foundation awards has come from AES, Audio Precision, Dolby, Genelec, Harman International, JBL, L‑Acoustics, the estate of John K. Hilliard and the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio; from the families of John Eargle, Mary Lea Simpson, David Smith and Emil Torick; and from the family and friends of Larry Estrin, Garry Margolis, Don and Fran Pearson, and Bruce Swedien. Additional benefactors include in‑memoriam donors, individuals and companies committed to audio education.

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