Update 2/1/24: our 2024 scholarship application period is now closed. To be informed of future scholarship opportunities, join the mailing list.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2024
The Highlights Foundation Will Award Scholarships Exceeding $125k in Value This Year
Aspiring and published storytellers can apply now; deadline is January 31
Honesdale, PA – The Highlights Foundation announced today that it will award 90+ scholarships to writers and illustrators in 2024, valued at a total of more than $125,000.
The application period is now open, and all aspiring and published children’s authors and illustrators are invited to apply by January 31, 2024. Recipients will be notified in late March, and choose an offering that meets their interests and corresponds to their award during the 2024 program season.
Awards will be made as follows:
- 15+ scholarships for in-person programs that take place at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center.
- 33+ scholarships for In-Community Retreats that take place at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center.
- 8+ scholarships for Whole Novel Workshops (in-person or online).
- 15+ scholarships for online courses.
- 12+ scholarships for Personal Retreats at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center.
Awards will be based on the following criteria, evaluated by a scholarship committee via the application:
- Seriousness of purpose, including time and effort devoted to craft,
- Talent, displayed via a writing or art sample.
- and financial need.
“Our greatest joy in this organization is when we witness books that were inspired or helped along by the scholarship program at the Highlights Foundation,” said George Brown, Executive Director. “It’s a beautiful representation of the way this type of investment in storytellers pays off—in the hearts and minds of kids who read these stories.”
Many scholarships are made possible through generous donations from Highlights Foundation supporters who believe in the organization’s mission: to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves. These include several organizations who have partnered with the Highlights Foundation to make scholarships available. A grant from Hawthornden Foundation will also support the Highlights Foundation’s In-Community Retreat Scholarships this year.
Genielysse Reyes, a 2023 Lee Bennett Hopkins scholarship recipient, used her award to attend last year’s Crafting Novels in Verse Workshop and Retreat. After she completed the workshop, she shared her thanks to the organization, and all those who make scholarships possible. She said, “I want to say a big, warm, joy-filled thank you to those who support the Highlights Foundation scholarship program. Truly. It’s because of these scholarships that so many beautiful writers get the chance to create in safety, comfort, and community. I’m going to do my best to get my Filipino-American stories out there, so young people can experience magic I’ve always known. I’m so happy to be part of the Highlights community, and I hope to continue making everyone, including myself, proud.”
For an overview of the scholarship program, including a list of scholarships available and their sponsors, visit https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/scholarships/. An application link is also available on that page.
The Highlights Foundation will host a webinar on January 24, 2024 at 7pm EST to celebrate the scholarships available, and provide more information to those interested in applying. Register for that free webinar at https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/free-hfgather-2024-scholarship-celebration-and-information-session/.
To contribute to the Highlights Foundation Scholarship program, donate online at https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/donate-online/.
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CONTACTS:
George Brown, Executive Director, Highlights Foundation (George.Brown@highlightsfoundation.org)
