2026 Destinations of New York State Scholarship Auction

Live bidding at the 2025 Scholarship Auction in Canandaigua, New York

April 23, 2026 | Utica, NY | Donate Now

The Destinations of New York State Scholarship Auction is an annual event dedicated to raising funds for the Destinations of New York State Scholarship Fund, supporting the next generation of tourism professionals. Each year, NYSTIA awards five (5) $2,000 scholarships to exceptional New York State college students within the tourism, hospitality and culinary fields.

Last year’s auction at the Hotel Canandaigua raised approximately $26,000 and an additional $3,000 in donations. With your support by donating an item or directly contributing to the fund, we will expand this program and invest in the next generation of industry leaders.

Thank you for your support! - NYSTIA Scholarship Auction Committee. About the Scholarship Auction Committee

How and What to Donate:

We are seeking donations from destinations, attractions, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment providers. Contributors are welcome to donate individual items and/or combine items to create special packages. There is no limit to what and how many items you can contribute. Scroll down to donate or donate here.

Examples of donated items may include:

  • Overnight stays
  • Attraction entry tickets
  • Dinner vouchers
  • Locally-curated gift baskets
  • Hotel overnight stays
  • Tour experiences
  • Bundled multi-item packages such as full-getaway packages, season passes, multi-destination/attraction offerings, and more

Note: Items may be thoughtfully combined with other contributions to create attractive, comprehensive packages. (Ex. A dinner voucher at a restaurant may be combined with a nearby museum entry ticket)

Important Dates:

Donation Deadline: All donated items must be submitted via the form below no later than March 1, 2026

Auction Date: Your contributions will be auctioned live on April 23, 2026 with all proceeds benefiting the Destinations of New York State Travel Scholarship Fund. 

Donate Below:

Prepare your donation in advance by filling out one of our downloadable Scholarship Auction Donation Preparatory Documents:

*Important: The user session time is limited and there is no option to save your progress and come back later.

Donator Contact Information:
we will use this to communicate with you
Donation Item:

All information provided below will be included when promoting your item. Please be as accurate as possible. 

If multiple, please list.
If possible, we request auction items be redeemable through April 23, 2027. If no expiration date, please write N/A.
This will be included in promoting your item, so please be as detailed as possible. Ex.) included meals, vouchers, transportation, ticketed entry to attractions, etc.
Ex. Subject to availability, blackout dates apply, no weekends or holidays, bust be 21+ to rent, no more than X# of people, advance reservations required, etc.
Required: Physical Item

It is important that successful bidders receive a physical item upon purchase. All donations must include a tangible item that can be redeemed at the auction, such as a gift basket, certificate, flyer, or contact information for redemption.

Examples include: Gift basket, certificate, contact information to redeem, flyer, etc. 

The physical item will be: *
If multiple physical items will be provided, pease click "Other" and elaborate.
Please choose an option: *

The physical item will be brought to the Conference by:

How the physical item will be printed *
File size must be less than 5 MB to be uploaded here.
Donation Visuals

Please share a logo and photo of the donated item/pakage to be used when promoting your donation.

If your file size is larger than 5MB, please provide a file sharing link.
If your file size is larger than 5MB, please provide a file sharing link.
ie: Dropbox, Google Drive
Ex. A dinner voucher at a restaurant may be combined with a nearby museum entry ticket.