The Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir Writers of Colour will award one talented writer a free place on our Writing Your Memoir – Three Months course. Turn your life experience into a compelling book, with expert Zoom teaching, workshops and tutorials from award-winning author Claire Lynch. This course will run from 14 October 2026 to 29 January 2027.
This scholarship is part of the Breakthrough Writers' Programme, an initiative designed to break down barriers to entry for under-represented writers. We are keen to promote diversity in our student groups and to find a writer through this programme who we might not otherwise have heard from.
If you have the desire to write, a great idea and a compelling voice, and if you’re without the financial means to attend a Curtis Brown Creative course, this scholarship opportunity is for you.
Course Details
ELIGIBILITY
The scholarship is open to writers of colour over the age of 18, who fulfil our low-income eligibility criteria.
Applicants must have one of the following categories of ethnicity: East Asian (Chinese; Japanese); South Asian (Indian; Pakistani; Bangladeshi); Southeast Asian (Vietnamese; Korean; Filipino); any other Asian background; Black African; Black Caribbean; Black Other; Mixed – White and Asian; Mixed – White and Black Caribbean; Mixed – White and Black African; any other mixed background from more than one group; or any other background by which you identify as a person of colour.
Applicants must also fulfil our financial criteria:
- Unmarried and not co-habiting with a partner, with an annual (gross, pre-tax) income of less than £25,000 and personal savings of less than £5,000.
- Married or co-habiting with a partner, with a total annual (gross pre-tax) household income of less than £35,000 and personal savings (jointly or individually) of less than £5,000.
If you don’t quite fit our financial criteria but are nonetheless financially challenged, then do apply, explaining your circumstances in the form.
Our form asks you to make a statement about your ethnicity, your financial income and the reason you deserve this fully funded opportunity.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
- Applicants to the Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir Writers of Colour must fulfil our eligibility criteria. Our form asks you to make a statement about your ethnicity, your financial income and the reason you deserve this fully funded opportunity.
- With respect to the earnings thresholds set out in our eligibility section: for salaried applicants, your current salary at date of application must be under the threshold. For self-employed applicants, your gross pre-tax profits (average figure for the last two financial years) must be under the threshold. State benefits such as jobseeker’s allowance should be counted as income.
- Applicants may be asked to provide proof of their financial circumstances in support of their scholarship applications.
- Because the scholarship is open only to those who do not have the means to attend the applicable course without financial assistance, applicants should bear in mind that their application will be considered only for the scholarship place on the relevant course and not for other fee-paying places on the course.
- Applicants to this scholarship must not be currently represented by a literary agent.
READY TO APPLY?
Curtis Brown Creative offers places on our courses on the basis of proven writing ability. We ask applicants to apply with the first 3,000 words of the memoir book you’d like to work on during the course, and a synopsis of no more than a page (both need to be in the same document, as you can only upload ONE file in the application below). Please note that those with the financial means to attend our courses should not apply to this scholarship.
The Breakthrough Scholarship for Memoir Writers of Colour will be awarded to the applicant whose submission material shows the greatest potential and promise in our view. The decision will be made by the Curtis Brown Creative team.
Our application process is simple, and we encourage all writers meeting the eligibility criteria to apply.
Don’t worry if you have little or nothing to say in response to questions about e.g. writing experience or employment. Just fill out the form, upload your work and we’ll be in touch soon.
The deadline for applications is Monday 28 September, and we will respond to applicants by Friday 2 October. If you encounter any problems during the application process or have any more questions about the courses, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.
