Ask the Prez! PPWC Scholarships

I'm running short on Ask the Prez questions, so I'd love to have more! This is your chance to ask the president of Pikes Peak Writers any question about our organization, our conference, The Zebulon writing contest, or anything else related to writing. I enjoy answering these questions, so let's have them. If you have a question for me, please email president@pikespeakwriters.com with the subject line of "Ask the Prez". Make sure to let me know if it's okay to use your name in the response, or else you will remain anonymous.

The next question comes from an anonymous questioner:

·       Can you talk about PPW’s scholarship program, how many are given away, what are my chances if I apply, and who decides if I get one, and what is the yearly cutoff time?

J.T.'s Answer:

Applying for a Scholarship

We recently changed our scholarship application window from early in the year of the conference to more closely align with the registration window. The scholarship application dates for the 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference are from November 15, 2015 through January 15, 2016. This means you can apply for a scholarship now! Full details about how to apply can be found on our scholarship page.

Make sure to read every detail on there and closely follow our instructions. Since we have our scholarship recipients volunteer for us on site at the conference, we really want detail-oriented folks to help us out.

Scholarship Alternative: The TechTeam

If you have a modicum of technical ability, an alternative to the regular scholarship program is to apply to join our TechTeam. TechTeam members assist our faculty in hooking up faculty laptops to PPW-owned projectors and troubleshooting minor issues associated with this activity. We also have our TechTeam set up projector screens and assist with other visual aids. The application window is the same as with Scholarships. You can find out more about our TechTeam on this page on our main web site.

Like with applying for a scholarship, you need to read everything closely before applying. We are especially concerned with details and focus (pardon the pun) when it comes to setting up projectors.

Number of Scholarships

This varies from year-to-year. It largely depends on how much money was donated specifically to our scholarship fund prior to our consideration window. We do our best to bring as many scholarship recipients into PPWC as we can. We usually spend close to our entire scholarship budget each year. If you're not in a position where a scholarship is necessary for you, and you're in a spot where you can help an aspiring writer, donating to our scholarship program is a great way to assist someone else.

The Decision Process

Our scholarship chair leads the discussion between certain PPW staff members and volunteers to decide who has the greatest need, the most promise, and a strong desire to assist us in our endeavors. A strong writing sample is not required. We're not looking to bring masters of the craft to conference via scholarship. We just ask that you do your best work (pretend you're submitting the work to an agent or editor), and show promise in your writing ability.

Getting Word

We will get back to all scholarship and TechTeam applicants no later than February 15, 2016. If you apply for one of our programs and register before you hear word back from us, you will automatically remove yourself from consideration for both. In other words, do not register until you hear from us.

Questions?

If you have any further questions, please direct them to our scholarship chair, Bonnie Hagan. She can be reached at either scholarship@pikespeakwriters.com or techteam@pikespeakwriters.com depending on which program you wish to inquire about.

About the Author:  J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the president of Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he keeps computers secure at the Day Job, homebrews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card/board/role-playing games.