Creative Writing Scholarships
While there are many scholarships available today in the field of creative writing, finding them and choosing the right one remains a tough task. Keep reading to get some great information on the various scholarships for creative writing courses...
Pankaj Chobharkar
For many creative writing enthusiasts, the huge fees of the courses is not affordable. Amongst these enthusiasts there are also many deserving writers who really have potential. For such individuals, many universities, organizations, and literary societies are coming up with different scholarships, which are of different types, and may fully sponsor your course or may offer a waiver in the fees. Following are all the scholarships for school and college students who are interested in the field of Creative Writing.
For College Students
The Armistead Maupin Creative Writing Scholarship Fund
This scholarship is given in honor of Armistead Maupin. It is given through the equity foundation to students who are taking or planning to take a course in liberal arts or creative writing. Students or applicants just need to be good at their art, and should not have any published works, in order to apply.
NEA Creative Writing Fellowship
The National Endowment of Arts grants a creative writing fellowship in fiction and poetry. However, to apply for this scholarship, you need to have some published work. It is a national level fellowship and so the competition is very fierce. The fellowship amount is $25,000.
The John Engman Poetry Scholarship
This scholarship is specifically for creative writers who are more inclined toward poetry. The criteria for eligibility includes the applicant proving to their committee that the total family income does not exceed $20,000 per year. These scholarships are randomly selected from the applications. You do not have to be a published author to avail this scholarship.
The J.D. Salinger Award Scholarship
Ursinus College grants this scholarship to its students who have a flair for creative writing. The scholarship amount is a whopping $25,000 annually, for four years. That's not all, you also get to live in the dorm, for a year, where Salinger himself once lived. But due to so many benefits, the competition for this scholarship is very high. It can be your pathway to enter the world of creative writing.
For High School Seniors
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Technically this is not a scholarship, but it is a prestigious award and can get you a lot of recognition. Also, the top 5 winners of this award get a sum of $10,000 which they can use to pay for their creative writing courses. Moreover, even if you are not in the top 5, just winning the award makes you eligible for scholarships offered by colleges.
Poets and Writers Magazine Funds
The poets and writers magazine conducts workshops, book reading, and other literary events for school students to encourage these young writers. They have also funded many such events in various cities and small towns. The maximum fund amount is $1,500.
Norman Mailer Creative Nonfiction Award
The National Council of Teachers of English sponsor this award in the memory of the author Norman Mailer. The award is especially for high school students who are particularly interested in creative non-fiction. The prize amount is $5,000.
Random House Inc. Creative Writing Competition
If you go to a school in New York and want to pursue creative writing, Random House Inc. gives you the chance. Every year the publication house conducts a competition where you have a chance to win $10,000 as the prize amount. That is not all, the recognition you get is tremendous. But, as you might have guessed, the competition is fierce here too.
Make sure you get the complete details about the eligibility criteria, age limits and other terms and conditions related to the scholarships before you begin to apply for them. Besides the scholarships mentioned above, there are many others to choose from, such as the Stanford University's Fellowship, the Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition, etc. It is always advisable to keep a check on the various scholarship portals, so that you will always have up-to-date information regarding the same.
Do not be disheartened if you fail to get any of these creative writing scholarships. Go for a small course for now, get better, and apply again for the scholarships. Meanwhile, you can practice your art by doing some freelance writing or by writing for literary magazines, etc. Having published work will not only make you eligible for more scholarships, but will increase your chances of getting one as well.
