The Tolkien Society is delighted to announce the launch of a new Bursary to fund emerging academics to present the latest Tolkien scholarship to new audiences.
About the Bursary
The objective of The Tolkien Society is to educate the public and promote research into the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien. To achieve this, our Constitution includes an objectives to “afford a means of communication of ideas between scholars and others who have a common interest in the life and works of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien”.
“This is a very exciting moment for the Society: we are funding scholars to help them research and present their studies on Tolkien. For us, we want to support the next generation of Tolkien scholars so we continue to explore the breadth and depth of Tolkien’s works, and that Tolkien research keeps up with new trends and developments.” – Shaun Gunner, Chair
With that in mind, the Society is pleased to launch a discretionary Education Travel Bursary to enable masters and doctoral students to attend Tolkien Society events and present their work and receive feedback on it. The first applications for the bursary will begin this year for Tolkien 2019, but we intend to have annual awards to present at our events such as Oxonmoot and our Seminar.
The Bursary is funded from donations to the Society, and if you would like to donate to the fund, please visit our Donate page.
2019 Awards
While this will be a continuing opportunity in future years, we are pleased to make the first bursaries available to graduate students who have a paper accepted for the Tolkien 2019 conference in Birmingham this August. Up to three discretionary awards, each worth up to £500 (GBP), will be made to aid travel and accommodation expenses. Successful applicants will also enjoy free entry to the event. If they have already registered then their conference fee will be refunded.
The deadline for the Tolkien 2019 bursary application is March 20. You can expect to hear back from us by early April.
- Those who are graduate students pursuing an MA, MSc, MRes, MPhil, DPhil, PhD or equivalent degree from a recognised higher education institution;
- and who have received an acceptance letter to present a paper at Tolkien 2019.
How to apply?
Applicants will be asked to provide:
- the title of their paper;
- proof of enrolment at their institution;
- a cover letter detailing the reason of their application; and
- their CV.
All applications must be sent to: education [at] tolkiensociety [dot] org by midnight GMT on 20th March 2019.
What happens if I’m successful?
Successful applicants will be notified via email in early April 2019.
Successful applicants are expected to make travel and accommodation arrangements, and to provide proof of purchase to the bursary team. An applicant can only claim the cost of their travel and accommodation up to £500 (GBP). The reimbursement can only occur after the recipient registers and attends the Tolkien 2019 event. All recipients can expect to be reimbursed by September 1 2019.
