Scholarships

Creative Writing majors at Emory may apply for one of two Grace Abernethy Scholarships:

1. The Grace Abernethy Scholarship (non-genre specific), recognizing achievements in any of the genres taught in Creative Writing except nonfiction
2. The Grace Abernethy Scholarship (nonfiction), recognizing achievement specifically in the nonfiction genre

The Grace Abernethy Scholarships are financial awards from the Grace K.J. Abernethy Fund. The funds are dispersed through the Hawai'i Community Foundation. Any Creative Writing major may receive the scholarships, but majors from Hawai'i receive preference. 

The scholarship totals that will be awarded this year will be announced later this semester.

If you are receiving financial aid, the award will be applied to your aid package.

To apply for either scholarship, you must be a declared Creative Writing major at any stage of completing the requirements. 

To apply, you must submit the following, as ONE DOCUMENT IN EITHER WORD OR PDF FORMAT, to nora.lewis@emory.edu with "scholarship" in the subject line by the 12pm, March 20 deadline:

1. A cover sheet with the following information:

• Your name
• The scholarship for which you're applying (non-genre specific or nonfiction)
• Your student ID number
• Your NETID
• Your phone number and email address
• Your class status and expected semester and year of graduation
• Classes you've taken so far to fulfill the major, including the semester and instructor's name (i.e., Creative Writing workshops and upper-level English literature classes), in the following format:
  • Spring 2021, ENGCW 272W-1 Introduction to Fiction Writing, Tiphanie Yanique

2. A sample of your work in nonfiction OR any other genre, or a mixture of genres, but no more than 20 pages total; this may be several pieces. Pages must be numbered. Prose should be double-spaced; poetry may be single-spaced. Playwriting and screenwriting submissions should be in the correct format for each genre.

If you have any questions, email Nora Lewis, Academic Department Administrator.

To be eligible for the Tom-Chris Allen Scholarship in Nonfiction, you must be either a Creative Writing major, or have taken an Emory Creative Writing Program nonfiction class within the past three years.

(The scholarship is for 2023-2024, so graduating seniors are not eligible.)

The Creative Writing Program, at its discretion, may divide the Tom-Chris Allen Scholarship in Nonfiction among two winners.

A document with

• Your name
• Student ID
• NETID
• Phone number
• Emory email address
• Your class status
• A list of the courses you’ve taken in Creative Writing, in the following format:
  • Spring 2020: ENGCW 376RW-1 Creative Nonfiction, Hank Klibanoff.

A 250-word statement that lays out your commitment to nonfiction, and the role it has played in your education, and any larger role you’ve played in advancing writing excellence in the larger College.

A nonfiction writing sample (up to 20 pages; may include different pieces). Pages should be typed, double-spaced, and numbered.

A transcript is also required. Academic Department Administrator Nora Lewis will obtain the transcript from OPUS separately and add it to your application.