Receive A Grant Of £18,000 For Your Published Literature Work As A Student Entrepreneur

http://www.milesmorlandfoundation.com/morlandwritingscholarship.html

The Miles Morland Foundation has established an annual scholarship scheme to support writers early in their career. Up to three Morland Writing Scholarships, each worth £18,000, will be awarded each year to writers of fiction or non-fiction.

Candidates must provide a 2,000 – 7,000 word sample of published work. This may be a complete work or an excerpt. The panel may request further work or information.

The candidate must also submit a brief proposal for new work (excluding work in progress). Work samples, the proposed work and application materials must be in English. Book projects of 80,000 words or more are preferred, as are works relating to Africa. Plays or screenplays are not eligible. The Morland Writing Scholar must produce at least 10,000 new words per month, in order for the Scholarship support to continue. Candidates must have been born in Africa or both of their parents must have been born in Africa.

The Trustees reserve the right to vary the terms and requirements of the Scholarships at their discretion.

Please send submissions by October 31, 2013. The Scholarships will be announced in December 2013 and will run for the calendar year 2014.

All enquiries and submissions relating to the Morland Scholarships should be directed to MMF@blakman.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

about

The Morland Writing Scholarships

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT AN APPLICATION PLEASE READ THE CHECKLIST AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SENT THE FOUR THINGS NOTED ON THERE. IF YOU DO NOT SEND ALL FOUR TOGETHER YOUR SUBMISSION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Is there an official application form?
No.

Is there a deadline for submissions?
Yes, see http://www.milesmorlandfoundation.com/morlandwritingscholarship.html. This year it is October 31st, 2013.

When will applications be accepted?
Applications will be accepted from now until October 31st, 2013. We will acknowledge receipt but, unless we have a query, you won’t hear from us again until the awards are announced in December.

In what format should the application be sent?
Excerpts from your previously published work should be sent as a Word document or a scan of your book or the magazine in which you were published. In all cases please provide easily accessible information as to where your work was published. Scans and Word documents should be emailed to MMF@blakman.com.

What does being “previously published” mean?
It must have appeared in a printed book or magazine that has been offered for sale. Publication in a book or magazine that is free and not offered for sale is not eligible. Being published on Kindle is also acceptable. Other forms of on-line appearance are not acceptable. Please give us sufficient detail of where the published work has appeared so it can be verified. A number of early entries do not provide sufficient detail. We must be able to satisfy ourselves that the publication was offered for sale and was not a free edition such as a university or association magazine, or indeed an on-line publication offered for free. Please make it easy for us to check.

Might the judges make an exception for an unpublished author who shows promise?
No. We have already received entries from unpublished authors requesting that the judges should make an exception for them. They will not. If you do not meet the requirements set out in the previous paragraph please do not submit an entry.

How long should the excerpt to be submitted be?
2,000 – 7,000 words. Please note it should be a single submission from one piece of published work. Please do not send two or more submissions.

To what address should excerpts be sent?
They should be sent by e-mail to MMF@blakman.com. Please do not submit anything in hard copy or by terrestrial post.

Are published essays suitable as an example of previous work?
Yes, if they meet the criteria above.

Will non fiction be considered?
Yes.

What will the judges be looking for in awarding the Scholarships?
The purpose of the Scholarships is to promote literature. Submissions will be judged solely on literary merit. A number of submissions have been received on special interest subjects. These include academic and scientific submissions, pieces of reportage and other journalism, political essays, and works dealing with religious subjects. Before you submit an entry ask yourself, or ask an objective friend, “does my entry show literary merit?” If the answer is no please do not make a submission.

I understand that I or both my parents must have been born in Africa for me to be eligible for a scholarship. Is where I currently live important?
No but please note from the scholarships web page that “Works which relate to Africa are likely to be preferred by the judges.”

What else should accompany my submission other than an example of my previously published work?
A scan of your passport or other official document showing the information page and photograph.

When will the award of the scholarships be announced?
December 2013. At that time we will send an e-mail to all unsuccessful candidates, thanking them for their submission and informing them of the judges’ decision. Please note that you will not hear from us between your submission being accepted and the announcement of the winners in December.

For a proposed book, do the trustees need to see a short synopsis or a longer description?
You will be expected to submit a brief description of the work you intend to write (ideally 200 – 500 words).

Is a book that is finished but under review with a publisher eligible for consideration?
No. The scholarship is intended to enable you to write a new work not complete a work in progress. A “new work” is one which you have not yet begun writing.

Is a collection of poetry a suitable submission as an example of my previously published work?
No, examples of published work must be in prose.

Is there an age restriction for applicants?
No.

Should I submit anything else with my excerpt such as a CV or a letter?
Please tell us in fewer than 100 words something about yourself and your background. Please do not submit a CV or résumé.

Do I need to prove my African birth place? If so, how?
See above regarding the necessity to submit a scan of your passport or other official document. If you qualify because both of your parents were born in Africa, please attach some evidence of this (preferably the information page of their passports).

Will the Foundation provide mentoring, advice, or other help with my work?
No. We do not have the resources to do this. Our sole function will be to receive your submissions and to arrange for judging the three winners.

Can I make more than one entry? Or enter a proposed fiction and non-fiction work?
No. There are not separate categories. You may only make one submission.

Have you enclosed all four things on the checklist below? If not, do not send a submission.

1. A submission of between 2,000 and 7,000 words from a work that has been published and meets the conditions set out above.

2. A description of fewer than 500 words about the new book you intend to write.

3. A scan of an official document showing that you, or both of your parents, were born in Africa.

4. A brief bio of fewer than 100 words.