Creative Writing Scholarships

• Columbia College Chicago – Various creative writing scholarships available for students at all study levels to study at the college. (Simply select ‘Creative Writing’ from the ‘program of study’ box to view them.)
• Chatham University – Various assistantships and fellowships are available to study an MFA in Creative Writing at the university.
• Mystery Writers of America Helen McCloy Scholarship – Two US$500 scholarships are available for aspiring mystery writers (who must be US citizens or permanent residents) to offset the costs of a creative writing workshop, seminar or university course.
• Penguin Annual Signet Classic Scholarship Essay Contest – Five creative writing scholarships are available for US high school seniors and juniors to further their education. To enter this year’s competition you’ll need to write an essay on a topic related to a novel.
• Pine Manor College MFA in Creative Writing – Various creative writing scholarships to study at the college, including the need-based ‘Writers Helping Writers’ scholarships and the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship, awarded to a student of African or Caribbean descent.
• Sierra Nevada College MFA in Creative Writing scholarships – Merit- and need-based creative writing scholarships are available to study at the college.
• UCLA Extension Phyllis Gebauer Scholarship in Writing – Up to six scholarships are available annually to study a writing program at UCLA Extension. Only US citizens or eligible green card holders can apply.
• University of Washington Department of English – Various creative writing scholarships are available at all study levels, including some aimed at current undergraduate or graduate students from any subject.
• Ursinus College Creative Writing Award – An annual $33,000 award is available for ‘creative writers of outstanding originality and potential’ to study at this liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.

• University of Guelph Graduate Scholarships – Various scholarships are available to study an MFA in Creative Writing at the university, most of which are open to both domestic and international students.
• Western University Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Awards include the Lillian Kroll Prize in Creative Writing, which awards CA$375 to an undergraduate student who shows a developing talent in creative writing. Canadian students can also apply for the Marguerite R. Dow Canadian Heritage Award.

• National Library of Australia Creative Arts Fellowship for Australian Writing – A fellowship of AU$10,000 is available for an Australian student who is undertaking a writing project to study a residency at the library for a minimum of four weeks.
• Victoria University of Wellington International Institute of Modern Letters – Various creative writing scholarships to study at the university, mainly at master’s level. 

• The Reedsy National Creative Writing Scholarship – A scholarship of US$1,000 is available for a student from the US, Canada or Australia who is currently enrolled in (or accepted for) a program in one of the same three countries. To apply you will need to submit the first chapter of an original novel.
• This is Writing Creative Writing Scholarship – A writing contest with a prize of up to US$400, available for students currently studying a creative writing course in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand or Canada at any study level.

This article was originally published in April 2016. It was updated in August 2018.