This $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a young Albertan writer who shows extraordinary talent in an eligible literary genre and who demonstrates clear educational or training goals.
Who can apply
The AFA celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to creating equitable, inclusive, and accessible programs for all, free of barriers and discrimination. We recognize the unique contributions all artists make towards our community, and encourage applicants representing diverse communities, including Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, women, people with disabilities, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
To be eligible for scholarship funding you must be a resident of Alberta. This means you:
- are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Person with an open study permit from inside Canada
- have had your primary residence in Alberta for one full year before applying
- ordinarily live in Alberta for at least six months each year with the exception of attending a formal program of study
You must be 25 years or younger as of the application deadline.
You must be enrolled in an eligible writing training program.
Eligible Training Programs
You must be enrolled in an eligible training program to receive this scholarship.
Eligible writing programs that will be accepted for assessment of educational or training merit are the following:
- any level of undergraduate studies with a minor or major in literary arts or creative writing
- a recognized program or appropriate mentorship, workshop, master class, or course with a focus on literary arts/creative writing
Graduate programs or their equivalents are ineligible for consideration.
Eligible Literary Genres
For the purposes of this scholarship program, eligible creative writing submissions that will be accepted for assessment of artistic merit are the following:
- short or long fiction
- poetry
- stage, screen or radio plays
- literary non-fiction*
- *Literary non-fiction is a form of non-fiction that uses inventive or literary techniques to produce work factually true and artistically elegant. Eligible works of literary non-fiction are the following written in a personal, identifiable voice:
- comic book/graphic novel script**
- **A comic book/graphic novel script is a text-only excerpt from a projected book-length narrative that will use a combination of words and sequential art in experimental or traditional comic format.
- history
- narrative journalism
- memoir
- personal essays
- travel writing
- a script should include the sequence narration, panel descriptions, art notes and concepts, dialogue, as well as a prefatory plot summary
- a script does not include the art