Subsidized Tickets

Purpose: Discounted tickets to make SOAK accessible to people facing financial hardship.

Why: To promote inclusivity and ensure that everyone, regardless of financial situation, can participate.

How: Applicants must complete a simple application and demonstrate financial need.

The ticket request window was from March 29 - April 2, 2025 at Noon. Applicants were notified of their award (or not) via email on April 3, 2025.

FAQs

  • I missed the window, is it still possible to apply?
    The application deadline has passed, we will not be accepting any new applications for SOAK*2025.

  • How were the awardees selected?
    We remove any duplicate applications, cross-check against our Radical Inclusion awardees (you cannot receive both in the same calendar year), randomize the remaining applicants, and blind-select 120.

  • Why didn’t I get selected? I really need the financial assistance!
    There were over 300 applicants for 120 tickets, it was luck of the draw.

  • Can I buy a Subsidized Ticket on the exchange?
    Subsidized Tickets are not eligible for re-sale. If you purchase your ticket and cannot attend, you are eligible for a full-refund. Email boxoffice@soakpdx.com for assistance.

  • What happens to any unclaimed Subsidized Tickets?
    Where possible, we will reclaim those tickets and randomly select from our remaining Subsidized Ticket applicants and award tickets to more folks in need. If the timing doesn’t work out, all unclaimed or not-purchased tickets will be rolled into the final count for the OMG Ticket sale in May.

  • Why didn’t you ask for my income verification?
    SOAK is an all-volunteer non-profit organization — we are not, nor do we want to be, in the business of collecting our participants private financial information. We trust you not to lie to us about your needs (please don’t lie to us about your needs!).
    The long-answer is that one person’s 32k annual income (no kids, lives in communal housing, in good health, etc) might make them more financially stable than someone else’s 55k (has children and/or elderly parents to care for, is a single-income family, has on-going medical expenses, etc). Administering a program that delves into your personal lives like the IRS is neither practical to administer nor guaranteed to yield more fair outcomes.

  • But I’m still really upset about this!
    We understand! And we wish you could have been selected, too. If financial hardship is keeping you from attending SOAK, we’d suggest you look into volunteering! It is still possible to earn a no-cost Gift Ticket for SOAK*2026 if you volunteer this year. (Volunteer Gift Tickets are never gifted for the same year, they are always for the subsequent event cycle)