Numerous Creative Writing Scholarships are available to students in Canada and the US who demonstrate writing talent and wish to pursue a degree in creative writing. While most require that a student intend to pursue a career in creative writing, a few scholarships allow students to continue their studies in creative writing while they seek a degree in a different field. Some are available for part time and short-term studies. All are designed to recognize and encourage proven artistic ability.

Follow the link to each individual institution for full details on their creative writing scholarships. Only those creative writing scholarships and awards that require an application are listed here. Merit based entrance scholarships are not listed, as no application is necessary. Creative writing grants are listed separately.

If you or your institution offers a creative writing scholarship and you would like it listed here, please contact me. I will be happy to add it.

Canadian Creative Writing Scholarships

1. DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 1 Arts New Brunswick Arts Scholarship
   AWARD: $1000-$2500 Open to New Brunswick Students
   
   
2. DEADLINE: Unspecified Irving Layton Award for Creative Writing
   AWARD: unspecified Open to students of Concordia University
   
   
3. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30 Anna Pidruchney Award for New Writers
   AWARD: $800 Open to Grant MacEwan Community College students and other novice writers
   
   
4. DEADLINE: APRIL 30 British Columbia Arts Council Scholarships
   AWARD: up to $4000 Open to British Columbia students studying creative writing full time in any country
   
   

Canadian Creative Writing Grants

1. DEADLINE: JANUARY 15 Manitoba Arts Council
   AWARD: up to $25,000 Open to Manitoba writers.
   
   
2. DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15 & OCTOBER 15 Ontario Arts Council
   AWARD: up to $12,000 Open to Ontario writers.
   
   
3. DEADLINE: MARCH 1 & SEPTEMBER 1 Alberta Foundation for the Arts
   AWARD: up to 15,000 Open to Alberta writers.
   
   
4. DEADLINE: MARCH 15 & SEPTEMBER 15 Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council
   AWARD: up to $7,500 Open to writers resident in Newfoundland and Labrador.
   
   
5. DEADLINE: MARCH 15 & OCTOBER 1 Saskatchewan Arts Board
   AWARD: up to $17,500 Open to writers resident in Saskatchewan.
   
   
6. DEADLINE: APRIL 1 & SEPTEMBER 10 Quebec Arts Council
   AWARD: up to $25,000 Open to up and coming, mid-career, and career writers resident in Quebec
   
   
7. DEADLINE: APRIL 1 & OCTOBER 1 Arts New Brunswick
   AWARD: up to $15,000 Open to emerging, mid-career, and established New Brunswick professional writers
   
   
8. DEADLINE: APRIL 1 & OCTOBER 1 Yukon Dept. of Tourism and Culture
   AWARD: $2,500/$5,000 Open to Yukon writers practicing at a senior level
   
   
9. DEADLINE: APRIL 1 (French) Canada Council for the Arts
   AWARD: up to $25,000 Open to emerging, mid-career, and established Canadian professional writers
   
   
10. DEADLINE: April 30 and October 30 Prince Edward Island Arts Council
    AWARD: $3,000/$5,000 Open to writers resident in Prince Edward Island.
    
    
11. DEADLINE: MAY 15 & DECEMBER 15 Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, & Heritage
    AWARD: up to $12,000 Open to writers resident in Nova Scotia.
    
    
12. DEADLINE: JUNE 15 Toronto Arts Council
    AWARD: $2,000/$8,000 Open to City of Toronto writers.
    
    
13. DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15 British Columbia Arts Council Writing Grants
    AWARD: up to $10,000 Open to professional British Columbia writers
    
    
14. DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1 (English) Canada Council for the Arts
    AWARD: up to $25,000 Open to emerging, mid-career, and established Canadian professional writers
    
    

US Creative Writing Scholarships -- College/University

1. DEADLINE: JANUARY 15 Oh The Places You'll Go! Dr. Seuss Scholarship
   AWARD: $10,000 Open to 12th-grade high school students age 21 years or under.
   
   
2. DEADLINE: JANUARY 15 Ursinus College Creative Writing Award
   AWARD: $30,000 Open to US creative writing students of outstanding originality and potential.
   
   
3. DEADLINE: MARCH Leon V. Driskell Award
   AWARD: $250 Open to University of Louisville undergraduate students
   
   
4. DEADLINE: MARCH Sara Jean McDowell Creative Writing Award
   AWARD: $500 Open to University of Louisville graduate students
   
   
5. DEADLINE: MARCH 15 Go-on Girl Aspiring Writers Educational Scholarship
   AWARD: $500 Open to all eligible sophomore and junior college students of African-American descent.
   
   
6. DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 14 The Jeff Iorilla and Roel Hinojosa Scholarship for Liberal Arts
   AWARD: $1,000 Open to US 1st year students in any area of study, who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender or who support LBGT people.
7. DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15 Hiram College International Student Scholarship
   AWARD: $500 Open to all international applicants in any program including creative writing.
   
   
8. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15 Bucknell University Arts Merit Scholarship
   AWARD: $2,500 to $10,000 Open to prospective students who plan to pursue studies in English/Creative Writing.
   
   

US Creative Writing Grants and Fellowships

1. DEADLINE: APRIL 1 Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship
   AWARD: $1000/$5000 Open to Rhode Island residents.
   
   
2. DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15 Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship
   AWARD: $52,000 Open to American poets writing abroad for one year
   
   
3. DEADLINE: DECEMBER 1 Stegner Fellowship
   AWARD: $26,000 plus tuition. Open to any writer wishing to study creative writing for two years at Stanford University.
   
   
4. DEADLINE: OCTOBER 3 Virginia Commission for the Arts
   AWARD: $5,000 Open to Virginia-based writers of fiction.
   
   

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