Guide to Applying for HWA Scholarships

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  • Applications for the 2014 Award open on 1 November 2013
  • Applications close on 31 December 2013
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has established two $2500 Scholarships to assist in the professional development of our Members as horror writers:
  • The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship,
  • and the Horror Writers Association Scholarship.
The Scholarships are effectively two facets of the same award; applicants enter the same competition using the same application form. A sub-committee of the HWA Board chooses the two scholarship winners from that pool of applicants. The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship is available for a female member and the Horror Writers Association Scholarship is available for any member, regardless of gender. Other information you need to know:
  • The Scholarships are only available to HWA members of good standing. When judging applications the sub-committee will have no regard to the applicants’ membership level
  • Among criteria the sub-committee will consider are the quality and potential shown in each applicants’ written work to date; the likelihood that the applicant’s career would benefit from further writing education; the likelihood that the applicant is committed to the horror genre; the likelihood that the applicant will contribute to the development of the genre, including increasing and/or broadening our readership; an Education Plan the applicant submits; the applicant’s financial need; and the broad interests of the HWA and the horror genre.
  • Each Scholarship is worth $2500
  • The winners of each Scholarship have two years in which to spend the $2500, which may be allocated to enhance their professional horror writing career on such things as – Course fees for physical or online writing courses; Resources such as textbooks, Guides, etc.; Registration fees for writing festivals that include relevant presentations; Registration fees for one horror genre convention per year; Subscription fees to appropriate periodicals; etc. Certain exclusions also apply.
  • Applications for the 2014 Award open on 1 November 2013 (online at www.horror.org)
  • Applications close on 31 December 2013
  • All applicants must use the online application form, filling in all sections and uploading the documents requested. Failure to include any information may invalidate the entry
  • The winners will be announced around 15 March 2014.
  • This is an Annual Program of Scholarships (no individual may win more than one of these Scholarships); however the sub-committee is empowered not to award either or both Scholarships in any given year if the quality of the applicants and their submissions is deemed insufficient.
  • There are a set of Rules that govern the Scholarships, below. We suggest you read them carefully before submitting your application.
  • Questions from members may be posted in the Member Only Forum at www.horror.org
  • Questions from non-members can be addressed to scholarships@horror.org.

Rules – The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship and the Horror Writers Association Scholarship

  1. Authority – the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship; and the Horror Writers Association Scholarship are established by the authority of the Horror Writers Association Board.
  2. Only Horror Writers Association (HWA) members in good standing as of 1 March in the year the Award is given are eligible to receive either Scholarship. As a result, only those persons who are members of the HWA may apply.
  3. The application period each year shall be between 1 November and 31 December.
  4. Both Scholarships will be awarded as the result of the same competitive vetting process (see Rule 14). One Scholarship may be awarded to a female member – the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship; and the other, the Horror Writers Association Scholarship, may be awarded to any member.
  5. The Board will appoint a sub-committee of no less than three members, who will be the sole determinants of the winners of each Scholarship. The sub-committee has the discretion not to announce a winner if it feels no applicant is up to the required standard. The sub-committee may not allocate joint winners of either Scholarship. They may not give both Scholarships to the same person in one year. They may not give either Scholarship to a writer who has previously won either Scholarship.
  6. Any announced winners will stand except in the case of circumstances listed in Rule 8, in which case any HWA member may appeal the decision to the full Board. The Board has full and final authority in determining any appeal under Rule 8.
  7. The announcement of any winners will occur on or about 15 March each year.
  8. HWA members may appeal the decision of the Board sub-committee to award either scholarship under the following limited circumstances:
    1. There is dispute over whether the winner of the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship is indeed female (see Rule 12), in which case said appeal must be lodged within 30 days of the announcement;
    2. There is dispute over whether the winner was a member in good standing during the application period (see Rule 3); or as of 1 March in the year the Award is given, in which case said appeal must be lodged within 30 days of the announcement; or
    3. There is evidence that the winner is bringing the HWA into disrepute during the period the Award is given and for a period of 2 calendar years thereafter.
    4. If any Appeal under Rule 8 is lodged the Board must give the original winner full rights to put their case in answer to the appellant and any questions the Board may have. The Board must ensure procedural fairness to all parties involved in the Appeal but should make its decision promptly, and in any case, within 30 days of the original appeal being lodged.
  9. No outside party (persons or entities who are not members of the HWA) may appeal the decisions of the sub-committee.
  10. If a Scholarship decision is overturned under Rule 8a. or 8b. the sub-committee will:
    1. Determine a new winner as soon as practicable from the original applicants. The sub-committee has the discretion not to announce a new winner if it feels no applicant is up to the required standard.
    2. Advise the former winner that the Scholarship has been withdrawn
  11. If a Scholarship decision is overturned under Rule 8c the Board will have discretion as to whether the Scholarship is given to a new winner, taking into account the amount of the Scholarship Funds that the original winner has already spent. If the Board decides to issue a new Scholarship the sub-committee will determine a new winner as soon as practicable from the original applicants. The sub-committee has the discretion not to announce a new winner if it feels no applicant is up to the required standard.
  12. Definition of a female. For the purposes of allocating the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship and any appeals under Rule 8a, a person claiming to be female must meet one of the following criteria:
    1. Be born as a female; or
    2. Be a transgendered, hermaphrodite or intersex person living publicly as a female. Those transgendered persons living publicly as a male are not eligible for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship but are eligible for the Horror Writers Association Scholarship.
  13. Applicants must fill in and submit the Application Form designed for that purpose; the Application Form must be published at www.horror.org but may be also be made available in any other way the HWA sees fit.
  14. The Application Form must include a section in which the Applicant outlines how the Scholarship Funds would be spent (an ‘Education Plan’) and how that would benefit the applicant’s career development
  15. The sub-committee may use any criteria it sees fit to determine the winners (if any) but should consider the following matters:
    1. The quality and potential shown in each applicants’ written work to date (including any samples that may be submitted to support the application; and any examples the sub-committee may seek out);
    2. The likelihood that the applicant’s career would benefit from further writing education (in respect of this the sub-committee will consider writers with any experience, background or body of work – from aspiring unpublished writers through to those who already have an extensive publishing record – the key here is the likelihood of the applicant benefitting from further writing education);
    3. The likelihood that the applicant is committed to the horror genre;
    4. The likelihood that the applicant will contribute to the development of the genre, including increasing and/or broadening our readership;
    5. The Education Plan the applicant has submitted;
    6. The financial need of the applicant; and
    7. The broad interests of the HWA and the horror genre
  16. On winning a Scholarship a writer should have regard to implementing their Education Plan in spending the Scholarship monies. Actual spend must be in accordance with the following process:
    1. Only expenditure that complies with Rule 17 is eligible (whether or not the spend appeared in the applicants’ Education Plan)
    2. If the expenditure appeared in their Education Plan and is eligible the applicant will ask the Treasurer to make payment on their behalf; or they will seek reimbursement from the Treasurer for a payment they have made, providing receipts for that expenditure (noting that no payments made before the Scholarship was announced may be reimbursed under any circumstances). Under no circumstances will advances or prepayments be made direct to the Scholarship winner – where the HWA contribution is only part of a payment being made the applicant must either seek reimbursement; or the HWA will make a co-payment with the applicant).
    3. If the expenditure appeared in their Education Plan and is eligible the applicant must seek approval from the Board Scholarship Sub-Committee. Such approval must be made promptly (certainly within 30 days); must not be withheld unreasonably; and the applicant has the right to appeal to the full Board if not satisfied with the sub-committee’s decision. The Board should make any appeal decision promptly, and in any case, within 30 days of the original appeal being lodged.
  17. The following expenditures are eligible under the Scholarship:
    1. Course fees for physical or online writing courses offered by recognized educational institutions; bona fide writers associations; or recognized individual tutors; or groups of writers. The HWA scholarship sub-committee shall be the sole determinant of whether a course is recognized or bona fide but such recognition should not be unreasonably withheld;
    2. Resources such as textbooks, software etc. required of each person attending the course (the HWA will only reimburse relevant software purchases to a maximum of $250);
    3. Writing Guides and other publications (only where such publications can be demonstrated to assist in the winner’s writing education)
    4. Registration fees for no more than one writing festival per year and only where that festival includes relevant presentations;
    5. Registration fees for no more than one horror genre convention per year;
    6. Subscription fees to no more than two periodicals per year (and only where the periodical can be demonstrated assist in the winner’s education);
    7. Membership fees in non-genre writers’ groups or associations to a maximum of $100 per year (and only where such membership can be demonstrated to assist in the winner’s writing education)
  18. The following expenditures are not eligible under the Scholarship:
    1. Courses offered by any family member of the winner; nor any entity associated with the winner;
    2. Travel, accommodation, meals and related costs, except where those costs are already included in course fees (for instance for ‘live-in’ courses);
    3. Purchases of hardware or software (excepting software noted in 17b);
    4. HWA membership fees
  19. The winners have a maximum of two calendar years from the announcement to spend the total funds of their Award. Any monies not spent by the expiry of that time period are forfeited. Any monies spent within the two year but not claimed with 90 days of the end of the two year period will not be reimbursed.
  20. The Scholarships will be made available annually but the HWA Board has the right to suspend the Scholarship program in any given year for the sole reason of limited finances; or to abolish the Scholarships altogether. Notice of such suspension or abolition must be given no later than 31 October each year.