Tag Archives: The Horror Writers Association Scholarship

HWA Scholarships Open

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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is accepting applications for five scholarships offered to those pursuing careers as writers of horror fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

The deadline to apply for The Scholarship from Hell is March 15, and for the other four scholarships is June 1.

The scholarship, open to all horror writers (HWA membership is not required), is worth $2500, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship. The scholarship went to Eric Smith in 2015.

This scholarship, worth $2,500, is open to female horror writers. It may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.

The late Rocky Wood, then HWA President, explained why the scholarship was created in 2014.

It is very clear to the HWA that there are unseen, but real, barriers limiting the amount of horror fiction being published by women. There are many fine women writers being published in our genre but we also see potential for the percentage of horror fiction being published by women to increase. This Scholarship, named after the great female horror writer, aims to encourage more female writers to enter our genre and to aid in the development of those already working within it. At the same time the HWA exists to extend the horror genre in all its aspects, so we are also establishing Horror Writers Association Scholarship, which is open to all our members, regardless of gender.

Thersa Matsuura was the 2015 scholarship winner.

The Dark Poetry Scholarship, first awarded in 2015, is designed to assist in the professional development of Horror and/or Dark Fantasy Poets. It is worth $1,250, which may be spent on approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship. Michael Tugendhat received the scholarship in 2015.

The Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Non-fiction Writing provides grants for research and writing nonfiction relating to horror and dark fantasy literature. The amount is flexible. Membership in HWA is not a requirement.

The Scholarship From Hell is the only scholarship offered by HWA that puts the recipient right into an intensive, hands-on workshop environment (called Horror University). Horror University will take place at HWA’s first annual StokerCon in Las Vegas, and the winner of the Scholarship From Hell will receive domestic coach airfare (contiguous 48 states) to-and-from Las Vegas, a 4-night stay at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, plus free registration to StokerCon2016, and as many workshops as you’d like to attend

There are 18 instructors lined up for the workshop, including Jonathan Maberry, Jo Fletcher, Stephen Jones and Lucy Snyder.

Horror Writers Association Offers Scholarships

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scholarships214x164The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has created two annual $2500 scholarships – the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship for female HWA members and The Horror Writers Association Scholarship open to all members.

The scholarships are designed to aid the winners’ professional development and may be spent on “approved writing education over the two years following the granting of the scholarship.”

HWA President Rocky Wood explained the intent behind The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship:

It is very clear to the HWA that there are unseen, but real, barriers limiting the amount of horror fiction being published by women. There are many fine women writers being published in our genre but we also see potential for the percentage of horror fiction being published by women to increase. This Scholarship, named after the great female horror writer, aims to encourage more female writers to enter our genre and to aid in the development of those already working within it. At the same time the HWA exists to extend the horror genre in all its aspects, so we are also establishing Horror Writers Association Scholarship, which is open to all our members, regardless of gender.

Applications will be accepted from November 1-December 31. The winners will be chosen by a subcommittee of the HWA Board and the first recipients will be announced around March 15, 2014.

The criteria that the subcommittee will consider in making its choice include —

[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; an Education Plan the applicant submits; the applicant’s financial need; and the broad interests of the HWA and the horror genre.

Under the rules the winner of the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship must —

1. Be born as a female; or

2. Be a transgendered, hermaphrodite or intersex person living publicly as a female. Those transgendered persons living publicly as a male are not eligible for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship but are eligible for the Horror Writers Association Scholarship.

[Via Locus Online.]