Apply for a Scholarship
Our 2025 Scholarship Period is Now Closed
To be notified when the application period opens for 2026, join our mailing list here.
You can find general information about our scholarship process below.
Understanding The Scholarship Application Process
The Highlights Foundation offers scholarships awarded on a yearly basis. With generous support from our community, these include:
- General Scholarships
- General Scholarships from Named Funds (honoring those who have had a significant impact on children’s literature)
- Special Scholarships, which are specially funded by donors and more specific in intent (i.e. supporting writers and illustrators in specific genres or formats, with certain professional goals, diverse voices, and more)
You can find out more about all these awards and determine which you might apply for via our scholarship list.
Scholarship Criteria
All awards are based on the following criteria, evaluated via the applications:
- Seriousness of purpose, including time and effort devoted to craft.
- Talent displayed via a writing or art sample.
- Financial need.
How to Apply
You should choose a scholarship type, and apply only once by selecting that type within your application.
Please review the types of scholarships available below, and our list of special/named scholarships (found here), before you apply.
Please note: you do not need to apply indivdually for special/named scholarships. Those who receive scholarships will be matched with awards based on their applications.
Step 1: Choose a Type of Scholarship to Apply For
Types of Scholarships You Can Apply For
There are three categories of Highlights Foundation scholarships in 2025. Please pick the one that you’d most like to receive, and that fits your creative goals. We can only accept one application per person.
Each category is explained in detail below.
Workshop/Program (In Person or Online)
In Person Programs take place at our rural retreat center in Northeastern PA (The Barn at Boyds Mills). These workshops and retreats are all-inclusive, including lodging and all meals and snacks, learning and networking opportunities, and plenty of retreat time. Programs generally vary from 3 to 5 days in length, and no two are ever the same. They’re faculty-led, generally modestly-sized in nature (up to 30 people, depending on topic). Agendas are detailed in each workshop description as they become available. See available in-person programs here; more will be added to the schedule as they become available.
Online Workshops are designed for you to be able to participate from anywhere you are, given access to a computer with an internet connection. Depending on the workshop you choose, our online offerings generally use a combination of Zoom for live sessions, an online course platform for self-paced/recorded sessions, resources, message boards, and email for specific communication. These workshops and sessions are structured uniquely by course, can vary in length (depending on the topic). See available online programs here; more will be added to the schedule when they become available.
Recipients of these scholarships can choose to redeem their award on an online or in-person workshop/program of their choice, pending availability.
Whole Novel Workshop
The Highlights Foundation Whole Novel Workshops offer writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft of a novel read with written feedback and private consultation. It also offers presentations and community-building specifically designed for novelists at this stage in their writing journey, and is designed to help writers make significant progress toward submission. The Highlights Foundation offers both Online and In-Person Whole Novel Workshops, and receipients who recieve a Whole Novel Workshop scholarship award can choose which type works for them.
Personal Retreat
A Personal Retreat at the Highlights Foundation’s retreat center (The Barn at Boyds Mills) offers time to focus on your work without a structured schedule, be in nature, have meals in the company of fellow creatives if you wish, and spend time as you please. Personal retreat scholarships are generally for three nights/four days (unless otherwise specified in the award) and offer lodging (your choice of a cabin, the lodge, or the historic farmhouse based on availability), three meals/day, and snacks.
Step 2: Apply for a Scholarship
PLEASE NOTE: The application period is now closed. The deadline to submit your scholarship application was 11:59pm Eastern Time on February 10, 2025. If you have questions or issues, please contact us at scholarships@highlightsfoundation.zendesk.com. Our team will respond as soon as possible to inquiries at that address.
Terms & Conditions
- Applicants should apply only once per year.
- Travel is not typically included as part of scholarships, though we have restricted funds available to offer on a limited basis during the application window. A limited number of travel stipends of $500 each will be awarded during this scholarship period, and there is a place on the application to let us know if a travel stipend is helpful.
- 2025 scholarship recipients can choose the workshop or retreat that matches their interests and their award during the 2025 season.
- Whole Novel Scholarship awards are made during this process, but they have separate scholarship funds and you must apply specifically for a Whole Novel Scholarship to receive one. Funds will be awarded specially for Whole Novel programs.
- Personal Retreat awards are made during this process, but they have separate scholarship funds and you must apply specifically for a Personal Retreat Scholarship to receive one. Funds will be awarded specially for personal retreats.
- While scholarships can be used for applicable programs and retreats, participation is still subject to the availability of the course and on our campus (i.e. recipients should sign up early to reserve their seats and ensure availability).
- In a case where a course requires an application or questionnaire for acceptance/registration, scholarship recipients may still need to complete those requirements. Information will be made available at the time of course registration.
For questions (including help if you have trouble submitting your application), contact us.
