Centennial Class of 2026 GCA Scholars Shatters Records!

From Wetlands and High Desert to Urban Forests and Pollinator Research, 130 Scholar Projects are Funded by GCA

May 13, 2026

By: Bernadette Tramm

What better way to celebrate the centennial of The Garden Club of America scholarships than by the Class of 2026 chalking up a trifecta of highest-ever records—545 applications received, $604,000 awarded, and 130 individual scholars receiving funding. 
 
This year’s scholars join more than 2,000 GCA scholarship recipients stretching back over a century to the first Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture awarded in 1926. The Rome Prize offers a year of study at the prestigious American Academy in Rome. From these roots, the GCA’s roster has flourished to include 29 individual scholarships available for budding environmental leaders to mid-career professionals, grouped in 12 interest areas of study, research, and fieldwork. 
 
The record-setting number and broad pool of applicants confirms high interest in young people seeking to pursue studies allied with the GCA’s vision and goals to restore, improve, and protect the environment. Scholars come from coast to coast, attending more than 70 public and private colleges, universities, and institutions. Their research and projects will be similarly scattered, touching down in eight different countries and 31 different states or territories. Almost 70 percent are pursuing advanced degrees, representing a high level of academic rigor and specialized study. The GCA relies on 16 collaborating organizations to help select the best candidates in their fields. 
 
Meet the Centennial Class of 2026 on the Scholarship Webpage and follow GCA Scholarships on Instagram. Looking ahead to the next 100 years, consider becoming a GCA scholar. Applications for 2027 open in the early fall with deadlines ranging from November to February.