You don’t need a first degree to apply for this brilliant opportunity. You don’t need to be free during the day. And money is definitely not a barrier….
The first Kit de Waal Scholarship  will provide a fully funded place for one student to study on the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA (part-time) over two years, from 2016–2018. Plus there is also a generous travel bursary to cover the cost of commuting to central London for classes at least one evening a week term time.

Birkbeck has an international reputation for the part time university education it provides. The Scholarship is for a writer with talent who would not otherwise be able to afford the course, targeting students from disadvantaged backgrounds — including but not confined to care leavers, ex-prisoners, members of BAME communities, people with a disability and those from socio-economically deprived and marginalized groups.

Even if you don’t get the scholarship the shortlisted candidates will be offered support. It will include introducing them to leading literary agencies, opportunities for workshops and further mentoring, and facilitating work experience. It’s the sort of stuff that money can’t buy.

Who is Kit de Waal?

You might not have heard of her before, although if you enter literary competitions you will probably have seen her name crop up again and again. Her stories have been published in various anthologies: Fish Prize 2011 & 2012; ‘The Sea in Birmingham’ 2013; ‘Final Chapters’ 2013’ and ‘A Midlands Odyssey 2015 and on Radio 4 Readings.  She came second in the Costa Short Story Prize 2014, second in the Bath Short Story Prize 2014 with ‘The Beautiful Thing’ and second in the Bare Fiction Flash Fiction Prize.   She won the Readers’ Prize at the Leeds Literary Prize 2014, and the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction 2014 and 2015.  Her first novel ‘My Name is Leon’ will be published by Penguin in June 2016.

Why is she doing it?

Kit de Waal said: ‘There are people of real talent out there who look at the cost of doing a creative writing masters and say ‘no chance’.

‘Too often university education is for the few — the best doesn’t always rise to the top. So I wanted to start this scholarship to give someone the opportunity to develop their craft, to learn from the best, to take that chance. I’m convinced there’s an exciting writer with a new distinctive voice who’s ready to take the next step. If you’re thinking about applying I would say ‘Go on, be brave. It’s a privilege to be involved in your journey’.”

How to apply:

·         Applicants should apply for the MA Creative Writing here (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/2015/postgraduate/programmes/TMACWRIT_C/) and indicate clearly on their application form that they are applying for the Kit de Waal Scholarship. Along with filling in the form, applicants must submit 5,000 words of their writing together with a personal statement of not more than 1,000.

·         They must also fill in an application form for the award which is available here where they must make a statement of financial status: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/arts/research/research-bursaries-studentships-funding/arts-ma-bursaries

 GOOD LUCK!

• Deadline Monday 15^th February 2016.