Applications for BC Arts Council scholarships are now available to British Columbians attending a full-time arts degree or diploma program this fall, as well as to B.C. students in pre-professional half-day dance programs in combination with their high school studies.

The application deadline is April 30, 2016, with scholarships providing up to $6,000 each in financial assistance.

This year, the BC Arts Council has again allocated $750,000 toward the scholarship program to help support the development of professional B.C. artists by assisting with the cost of post-secondary education or dance training. Scholarships are awarded through a highly competitive, adjudicated process, including the assessment of individual portfolios.

Eligible disciplines include: arts administration, community-based arts practice, museology, conservation, dance, media arts, theatre, music, curatorial practice, visual arts and creative writing.

B.C. students enrolled at a recognized college, university, institution, or academy for the arts in any country, or an eligible half-day dance program in British Columbia, can apply for a scholarship.

Scholarship recipients from previous years who have achieved success and acclaim in the arts include:

• Esi Edugyan, novelist
• 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

Through the Government of British Columbia’s ongoing investment in the arts, the BC Arts Council is the province’s lead independent agency for arts funding and development, providing $24 million for 2016-17 to help artists and cultural organizations flourish in communities throughout B.C. This investment further supports a thriving creative economy in British Columbia.

For more information on the BC Arts Council’s scholarship program, including guidelines and application forms, please visit: https://www.bcartscouncil.ca/guidelines/artists/youth/scholarship_awards.html