Nika Gujejiani Scholarship: Study creativity in Madrid

The 2026 Nika Gujejiani Scholarship application period is now closed. The deadline was 8 June 2026, and Miami Ad School Madrid later announced Ana Tediashvili as the 2026 scholarship winner. Bank of Georgia indicates that the competition is usually announced in spring, although dates, eligibility and scholarship conditions should always be checked again when a new edition opens.

The Nika Gujejiani Scholarship was created to support Georgian creative talent and continue the legacy of Nika Gujejiani, a Miami Ad School alumnus whose work became closely connected with Georgia’s creative industry.

The scholarship has evolved over the years. For the 2026 edition, Bank of Georgia and Miami Ad School Madrid offered the selected candidate the opportunity to study a nine-month creative Portfolio Program in Madrid, choosing between Art Direction, Copywriting and Creativity & Artificial Intelligence.

What is the Nika Gujejiani Scholarship?

The Nika Gujejiani Scholarship is an educational initiative developed by Bank of Georgia and Miami Ad School to give Georgian creative talent access to specialist training in advertising and creativity.

The scholarship was established in memory of Nika Gujejiani after his death in 2019. Bank of Georgia has documented the initiative as an ongoing scholarship created to support future generations of Georgian creatives.

Who was Nika Gujejiani?

Nika Gujejiani studied Art Direction at Miami Ad School in Europe between 2014 and 2016 and later worked in Georgia’s creative industry, including at Bank of Georgia.

The scholarship carries his name not simply as a memorial, but as a way of continuing the connection between creative education, Georgian talent and the professional industry that formed part of his own career.

You can read more about the history and 2026 edition of the initiative in the official Bank of Georgia scholarship guide.

Is the Nika Gujejiani Scholarship currently open?

No. The 2026 application period has finished. Applications closed on 8 June 2026 and the winner has already been selected.

Bank of Georgia has stated that the competition is generally announced in spring. Anyone interested in a future edition should therefore check the official scholarship information again rather than relying on the 2026 dates or conditions published in this article.

The latest status of Bank of Georgia’s educational initiatives can be checked through its official education and scholarship updates.

Who could apply for the 2026 scholarship?

The eligibility requirements can change between editions, so they should not be interpreted as permanent scholarship rules.

For the 2026 competition, the official information published by the organisers was aimed at Georgian applicants aged 30 or younger who had completed previous university-level studies and could demonstrate sufficient English to study and participate in the selection interview.

Do applicants need an advertising or design degree?

No specific advertising, design or creative degree was required for the 2026 edition.

What mattered was being able to show creative potential through a portfolio, personal projects, professional work, ideas, experiments or other material that helped the jury understand how the applicant thinks and creates.

Professional experience was not mandatory.

Why does the portfolio matter?

A portfolio is more than a collection of finished pieces. In a creative application it can reveal curiosity, ideas, craft, experimentation and the way someone approaches a problem.

Applicants from non-traditional creative backgrounds can therefore use self-initiated work, side projects or conceptual ideas when these genuinely help demonstrate their potential.

For examples of how Miami Ad School students present their work, you can explore the student portfolios.

What did the 2026 Nika Gujejiani Scholarship cover?

According to Bank of Georgia’s official guide for the 2026 competition, the scholarship covered 100% of the tuition fees for the nine-month Portfolio Program.

The same guide also stated that the scholarship covered the reservation and visa-related fee specified for that edition.

These conditions belong specifically to the 2026 competition. Tuition coverage, additional financial support, administrative fees or other benefits may change in future editions, so candidates should always check the new call before applying.

Which creative programs were available through the scholarship?

The 2026 scholarship allowed the selected student to choose between three creative pathways at Miami Ad School Madrid.

Art Direction

Art Direction focuses on developing visual ideas for advertising and communication. Students work on concept development, visual craft, campaigns and portfolio projects while learning to translate an idea into a visual system.

Copywriting

Copywriting focuses on ideas expressed through language: concepts, headlines, scripts, brand voice, storytelling and campaign development across different formats and media.

Creativity & Artificial Intelligence

Creativity & Artificial Intelligence combines creative thinking with generative AI and other emerging tools, using technology as part of ideation, visualisation and production rather than as a substitute for creative judgement.

For the scholarship, these programs were offered as nine-month study options in Madrid and taught in English.

What is studying creativity in Madrid like?

The nine-month program is built around practical creative work rather than only theoretical study.

Students develop projects through briefs, ideas, feedback and presentation, working towards a portfolio that can communicate both their creative thinking and the quality of the final execution.

Learning from active professionals

Classes at Miami Ad School Madrid are taught by professionals who work in advertising, design, strategy and other areas of the creative industry.

This means students are exposed to professional working methods, critique and different approaches to solving creative problems.

Working on briefs and creative projects

Projects can involve advertising briefs, portfolio exercises and student competitions. The objective is not simply to accumulate pieces, but to develop ideas, judgement, craft and a clear creative point of view.

Participation in competitions or award-related projects does not imply that a student will receive an award.

Building a creative portfolio

A strong portfolio should show more than polished final visuals or copy. It can also communicate the problem, the idea behind the solution, the student’s individual contribution and how the work developed.

The portfolio is an important tool when introducing creative work to agencies and companies, but it does not guarantee employment.

How did the 2026 application process work?

The 2026 selection process asked candidates to submit information including a CV and a link to their creative portfolio.

The process broadly followed these stages:

1. Review the available creative pathways and choose the ones that best matched the applicant’s profile.
2. Prepare a CV and creative portfolio.
3. Explain the motivation for applying and why the scholarship was relevant to the candidate’s development.
4. Submit the application before the official deadline.
5. Selected candidates were invited to interviews involving Miami Ad School Madrid and Bank of Georgia.
6. The final scholarship recipient was selected after the interview stage.

For future editions, applicants should follow the instructions published in the new application form because documents, deadlines and selection stages may change.

Who was on the 2026 scholarship jury?

The Miami Ad School Madrid page for the 2026 edition listed the following jury members:

• Ako Akhalaia, Marketer.ge.
• Eka Kipiani, Supermarket Agency.
• Levan Gomshiashvili, Bank of Georgia.
• Beka Gujejiani, Kera.
• Paula Cabanillas, Miami Ad School Madrid.
• Ana Hidalgo, Miami Ad School Madrid.
• Pranay Suri, independent creative and teacher.
• Giorgi Popiashvili, freelance creative.

This was the jury listed for the 2026 edition and should not be assumed to be the jury for future scholarship calls.

Can the scholarship student apply for a Spanish study visa?

Non-EU students may need a Spanish study visa or study-stay authorisation depending on their nationality, personal circumstances and the program they are joining.

Being selected for the scholarship does not automatically guarantee a visa. The relevant Spanish authorities make the final decision after reviewing the applicant’s documentation and eligibility.

Miami Ad School Madrid can provide the academic or enrolment documentation associated with the selected program, while the student is responsible for completing the immigration procedure and supplying the documentation required by the authorities.

The Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration currently states that study applications should generally be submitted at least two months before the start of the studies. Starting the preparation earlier can still be sensible because applicants may need time to collect, translate, legalise or apostille documents.

Visa rules can change, so candidates should always consult the current requirements on the official Spanish immigration website and the Spanish consulate responsible for their place of residence.

Can scholarship students do internships in Spain?

Students completing eligible longer programs at Miami Ad School Madrid may have access to internship opportunities after the academic part of their studies.

However, an internship should not be understood as guaranteed. The possibility depends on factors such as:

• The student’s profile and portfolio.
• Company and agency availability.
• The internship agreement in place.
• The student’s immigration and visa situation.
• The legal and academic requirements applicable at that time.

Internships can provide additional professional experience and help students continue developing their work, but the final opportunity depends on each individual case.

What was the difference between the September and January starts?

The creative programs currently offer September and January starting periods, although the exact calendar should always be confirmed on the individual program page.

For the 2026 scholarship, the organisers explained the difference mainly in terms of the academic calendar.

September start

Starting in September allowed the student to follow the academic year in Madrid from the beginning and participate in a longer stretch of the creative competition and project calendar.

January start

For the 2026 format, students beginning in January followed a different calendar that included a remote summer period before the final portfolio stage.

This distinction should be considered specific to the format communicated for that edition. Future schedules may change.

The Nika Gujejiani Scholarship connects Nika’s creative legacy with a practical opportunity for emerging Georgian talent to develop ideas, craft and a professional portfolio in Madrid.

If you are interested in a future edition, do not rely on the 2026 deadlines or requirements. Check the new scholarship announcement when it opens and, if you need information about the programs in Madrid, you can contact Miami Ad School Madrid.