Are you a B.C. resident attending a full-time fine arts degree or diploma program this fall? The BC Arts Council Scholarship program is ready to receive applications now from young British Columbians seeking world-class opportunities to study the arts, Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes announced today.

The BC Arts Council (BCAC) provides scholarship funding of up to $6,000 per individual per year to outstanding British Columbia art students. B.C. residents accepted for full-time studies and pursuing a fine arts diploma or degree at a recognized college, university, institution or academy in any country in the world can apply. The application deadline is April 30, 2014.

For more information, guidelines and application forms, please visit: http://bcartscouncil.ca/guidelines/artists/youth/scholarship_awards.html

The B.C. government is providing $750,000 again this year for the BCAC scholarship program. Last year, 144 young British Columbians shared this scholarship funding. Applications represented creative writing, music, theatre, dance, visual arts, media arts, museology and conservation. Jury panels representing B.C.'s arts and culture community evaluate applications and award scholarships.

Scholarship recipients experience top-calibre learning environments for the arts, including The Julliard School in New York City, Yale University, Oberlin College and Conservatory, Hochschule for Musik in Munich, Germany, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver. Last year's successful applicants represented communities across British Columbia, including Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Sechelt, Kelowna, Armstrong, Revelstoke, Kamloops and Prince George.

Scholarship recipients from previous years have achieved success and acclaim in the arts, including:

• Esi Edugyan - novelist (Giller Prize winner).
• Atom Egoyan - filmmaker.
• Jon Kimura Parker - classical pianist.
• Steven Shearer - visual artist.
• Jillian Vanstone - dancer (National Ballet of Canada).
• Ann Marie Fleming - animator.
• Heather Redfern - theatre director.
• Alex Wong - "So You Think You Can Dance" All Star.

BCAC is the B.C. government's lead agency for arts funding and development in British Columbia. Again this year, the B.C. government is providing $24 million for the BCAC - the highest level of funding in council's history. Overall, government is investing $60 million in British Columbia's artists, arts organizations and cultural institutions in 2014-15.

Quotes:

Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes -

"Arts and culture are thriving in British Columbia. B.C.-based artists achieve global accolades on stage and screen, in the printed word and visual arts. The BC Arts Council Scholarship program helps sustain this success by providing outstanding opportunities for ambitious, gifted young British Columbians to learn from and network with the best artistic talent in the world."

BC Arts Council chair Stan Hamilton -

"BC Arts Council scholarships make great investments in the future of arts and culture in British Columbia. The program has helped inspire many talented young British Columbians to build fulfilling careers in the arts. Their success helps British Columbia's vibrant arts and culture community continue to achieve excellence across the full spectrum of the arts."

Quick Facts:

• In 2012-13, the B.C. government increased support for the BCAC Scholarship program from $150,000 to $750,000. This funding increase almost tripled the number of scholarships awarded and increased the maximum grant from $4,000 to $6,000.
• Every year, the BC Arts Council approves about 1,000 grants to artists, arts groups and cultural organizations in over 200 communities in every region of the province.
• Since 2001, the B.C. government has invested almost $234 million through the BC Arts Council to support British Columbia's artists, arts and cultural organizations.
• Since 2001, the B.C. government has provided arts and cultural organizations with more than half a billion dollars - more than any other government in B.C. history.

Learn More:

Learn more about the BC Arts Council at: http://www.bcartscouncil.ca

Check out the provincial government's role in supporting sport, arts and culture through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development at: http://www.gov.bc.ca/cscd

Media Contact:

Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
250 888-1462