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Gary Schweikhart, board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theatre & Arts Honors, reminds college-bound high school students that the nonprofit organization is now accepting applications for its 2026 Jack Zink Memorial Student Scholarships. The deadline to apply is Monday, Feb. 9.
Since 1978, the Carbonell Awards has given out more than $140,000 in scholarships to winning applicants.
The selection of scholarship recipients is based on talent, experience and demonstrated commitment to theater and/or journalism, with one winner from each of the three area counties (Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach) receiving a double scholarship worth $3,000, including a $2,000 Jack Zink Scholarship and a $1,000 Hap Erstein Memorial Scholarship.
The selection process is chaired by Carbonell vice president Javier Siut, a member of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
Applications and guidelines for the 2026 Jack Zink Memorial Student Scholarships are available online at http://carbonellawards.org/the-jack-zink-memorial-scholarship-application/.
Eligibility Requirements:
• Applicant must be a graduating high school senior with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
• Applicant must be a resident of Broward, Miami-Dade or Palm Beach County.
• Applicant must be nominated by a mentor from school or theater (no parents and no self-nominations).
• If selected, the applicant must be accepted into college to pursue a degree in theater or journalism.
Timeline:
• Completed application must be submitted no later than Feb. 9.
• The interview/audition for scholarship finalists will be held on Saturday, Mar. 21, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
• The three winning scholarship winners will be honored at the 49th annual Carbonell Awards Celebration on Nov. 16 at the FAU University Theatre in Boca Raton.
About the Jack Zink Memorial Scholarships:
The scholarship is named for Jack Zink (1947-2008) who was a major voice in South Florida entertainment coverage for more than three decades. During his long career, he was employed as entertainment editor, columnist, critic and reporter at each of South Florida’s major newspapers: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post & Evening Times, and Fort Lauderdale News.
Zink was the founder and a past president of the Carbonell Awards, a past president of The American Theatre Critics Association, and was a recipient of both the Sun-Sentinel’s Fred Pettijohn Award, which is given annually to the newspaper’s top reporters, and South Florida’s prestigious George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts.
About the Hap Erstein Memorial Scholarships:
Established in 2025 to honor the legacy of theater and film critic Hap Erstein, who enjoyed a long and happy career for over 40 years, first at the Washington Times in the nation’s capital and later at The Palm Beach Post and the Palm Beach Arts Paper. He also was a longtime judge for the Carbonell Awards and, in 2022, was a recipient of the nonprofit organization’s prestigious Charlie Cinnamon Award for significant contributions to the arts in South Florida.
Highlights from Mr. Erstein’s career included interviews with Kennedy Center Honors recipients such as Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Stephen Sondheim. He loved live theater and loved writing about it. This scholarship is given in the hope that this love is shared with the next generation.
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