Scholarships are not only for those with straight As – they can also be for those who excel or show interest in a particular skill, like writing.
Applying for a scholarship that suits your interests can help set the pace for a fulfilling academic or professional career in a field you love.
They may also come in the form of a contest where the winner gets their tuition fees covered, a hefty cash prize which can be used for college expenses, or even a work placement – so it’s a great chance to let your writing prowess shine!
Consider yourself a budding journalist or writer? Here are some writing scholarships you can apply for as an international student – even if you’re not from the country it’s being offered in.
Horror Writers Association scholarships
Love writing about spooky stuff? The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is an established association that has offered scholarships since 2014, such as the HWA Scholarship, Mary Shelley Scholarship (for females), the Dark Poetry Scholarship, and the Scholarship from Hell.
A sub-committee of the HWA Board selects the winners from a pool of applicants. The winners will receive US$1,000-US$2,500, depending on the scholarship, which must be used for writing education purposes.
According to the website, “The Scholarship Sub-Committee will focus primarily on the applicant’s Education Plan, but they may also consider: the quality and potential shown in each applicants’ written work to date; the likelihood that the applicant’s career would benefit from further writing education; the likelihood that the applicant is committed to the horror genre; the likelihood that the applicant will contribute to the development of the genre, including increasing and/or broadening our readership; the applicant’s financial need; and the broad interests of the HWA and the horror genre.”
Scholarship winners have two years in which to spend the funds, which may be allocated to enhance their professional horror writing career on such things as course fees for physical or online writing courses, resources such as textbooks registration fees for writing festivals that include relevant presentations, and more.
Lycoming College Creative Writing Scholarship
Students at the Lycoming College can apply for this scholarship, awarded for the amount of US$3,000.
To be eligible for this scholarship, you must already be majoring in creative writing. You must also submit five poems and/or a short story no more than ten pages long.
Also, scholarship recipients must maintain a minimum grade of A-, alongside enrolling in a creative writing workshop, so the scholarship can be renewed for the next year of study.
EJC Google News Initiative Journalism Fellowships for International Students in Europe
The Google News Initiative & European Journalism Centre have partnered to offer fellowships to undergraduate, master, and PhD students interested in pursuing journalism, technology or design.
“The Google News Initiative Fellowship offers paid summer placements to journalism, technology or design students who want to gain valuable work experience and build lifelong contacts. This is a unique opportunity that can allow you to kick-start a career in the news industry.”
It’s not open to all international students, however, as only those from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and Poland are eligible to apply.
DW Akademie Journalism Masters Scholarship
Keen to pursue a Masters in journalism? Offered by the DW Akademie in Germany, this scholarship is targeted to journalists-in-training, especially from electronic media, as well as media representatives from radio, TV, online and print who have a Bachelor’s degree and a year of experience in the field.
Both partial and full scholarships are available, depending on the country you are from. If you’re from a developing country and you’re eligible, you may be awarded for tuition, fees, as well as living expenses.
It is a bilingual programme so applicants should ideally have a good command of both German and English.