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Q4 2024 Scholarship Application

The CMS-A is firmly dedicated to creating and providing educational & advancement opportunities to individuals seeking to enhance their beverage knowledge that may be experiencing financial hardship or encountering barriers to wine education. The CMS-A is sponsoring 100 scholarships in 2024 for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, individuals identifying as Women, and individuals experiencing financial hardship for the CMS-A Introductory Sommelier Course & Examination.

The Q4 application period is open through November 30, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST. This scholarship is open to any student, restaurant, hospitality, or beverage education professional. The scholarship may be applied to any future in-person CMS-A Introductory Sommelier Course and Examination or the upcoming Online Course for the period of January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025. Applications for those currently enrolled in the Course, or for those who have completed the Course within the past 3 years will not be eligible. Applicants must be 21+ years of age and awarded recipients opting for the online portion must be able to provide a valid **U.S. shipping address suitable for receiving alcoholic beverages related to the tasting portion of the programming.

Scholarships will be awarded by a committee consisting of: CMS-A Diversity Committee members, wine professionals, and D.E.I. experts. Committee members will assess applications blindly*, without knowledge of any identifying characteristics of applicants (Name, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or race). Each application will be assessed based on the merit of responses and applicant's financial need. Scholarship recipients will be selected on a quarterly basis, with this round of recipients being notified on by the end of December 2024. Individuals that do not receive a scholarship may re-submit an application during future application periods.

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* 1. Please enter your email address. You can create a free account at https://www.mastersommeliers.org/register/.)


Note: Your email is the only application component linking your application to your contact information and it will be locked from viewing for the review process. Due to the blind nature of the application judging process, not entering your the e-mail associated with your CMS-A account may prevent you from receiving a scholarship.

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* 2. Date of Birth (Applicants receiving wine kits must be 21+ years of age)

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* 3. Place of Residence (Scholarship applicants must provide a valid U.S. shipping address to receive wine tasting kits)

*At this time, wine cannot be shipped internationally, outside of the continental US (with the exception of AK or HI), or to the following US states: AL, AR, DE, KY, MS, RI, SD, UT.

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* 4. How would you describe your gender? (This will only be used in overall recording, not scholarship award determination)

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* 5. I identify my race as:

(This will only be used for determining eligibility and overall data recording, not for final award determination)

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* 6. Are you currently in the hospitality or beverage industry?

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* 7. Do you have any difficulty accessing reliable internet access?

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* 8. Who or what spurred your interest in the wine industry? (max 500 words)

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* 9. How would this scholarship help you professionally? (max 500 words)

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* 10. Are you currently experiencing financial hardship?

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* 11. Have you experienced any non-financial barriers to wine education?

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