February is African Heritage Month, also called Black History Month in other parts of Canada and in the United States. As we celebrate the contributions of African Canadians, King’s is highlighting scholarships and awards uniquely available to Black and African Canadian students who study at King’s.
The Prince Scholarship, now known as the Gordon Earle Scholarship, the Dr. Carrie Best Scholarship, and the Global News Scholarship require that students complete the application form for the award they are applying to, and submit an essay of no more than 500 words in response to the topic outlined on the undergraduate scholarships page. Students are invited to apply for more than one scholarship. The deadline for scholarship applications is March 1, 2022, unless otherwise specified. Questions may be emailed to awards@ukings.ca.
Prince Scholarship – now known as the Gordon Earle Scholarship
The Prince Scholarship is valued at $24,000 (a $6,000 award renewable for up to three years). The scholarship is named after Dr. Samuel H. Prince (1886-1960), an Anglican priest who was appointed professor of Divinity at King’s in 1924. He was also the first professor of sociology in King’s-Dalhousie’s shared Faculty of Arts and Science. Dr. Prince was Curate at St. Paul’s Parish in Halifax when the Halifax Explosion devastated the city in 1917, killing 2000 people and leaving 9000 injured and a further 25,000 people without adequate shelter. Dr. Prince contributed to relief efforts for the disaster and went on to complete a Ph.D. (sociology) in Catastrophe and Social Change at Columbia University in 1920.
The 2021 Prince Scholars, (from left) Kendra Gannon Sneddon and Monique Nguilibet
Read about the 2021 Prince Scholars.
Who can apply
African Nova Scotian students entering the Foundation Year Program at King’s are invited to apply for the Prince Scholarship. Students must be pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) or Bachelor of Music degree and meet the scholarship criteria.
How to apply
To apply, students must complete the Prince Scholarship application form [PDF] on which they will be asked to detail their extracurricular activities related to high school, work, and/or community involvement. Students must also provide the name and contact information of two references: one work or volunteer reference; and one academic reference. In addition to their application form, students must submit an original essay in response to the topic outlined on the undergraduate scholarships page.
Dr. Carrie Best Scholarship
The Dr. Carrie Best Scholarship is valued at $20,000 (a $5,000 award renewable for up to three years). The scholarship honours Dr. Carrie Best (1903-2001), DCL’92, a Nova Scotian journalist, author and broadcaster. Born and raised in New Glasgow, Dr. Best was a tireless advocate for human rights in Nova Scotia and throughout Canada. In 1947 she founded The Clarion, the second Black newspaper in Nova Scotia, which she edited and distributed throughout the Maritimes. She wrote a weekly column for the Pictou Advocate and hosted her own radio program. Dr. Best challenged Nova Scotia’s official and unofficial segregation laws, helped to establish the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, among other organizations, and never failed to raise her voice when she saw injustice. She received many awards including the Order of Canada, and an honorary Doctor of Civil Law from the University of King’s College in 1992. In 2011 Canada Post honoured Dr. Best with a commemorative stamp.
Read about the 2021 Dr. Carrie Best Scholar.
Who can apply
African Canadian students and Indigenous students in Canada enrolling in a four-year Bachelor of Journalism (Honours), Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Music at King’s are invited to apply.
Dr. Carrie Best
How to apply
To apply, students must complete the Dr. Carrie Best Scholarship application form [PDF] on which they will be asked to detail their extracurricular activities related to high school, work, and/or community involvement. Students must also provide the name and contact information of two references: one work or volunteer reference; and one academic reference. In addition to their application form, students must submit an original essay in response to the topic outlined on the undergraduate scholarships page.
Global News Scholarship
King’s and Global News are pleased to offer the Global News Scholarship, a renewable award open to a Black student entering the four-year Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) program in September 2022. Valued at $12,000, the Scholarship provides $3,000 of assistance each year. In addition to financial support, the recipient will receive the opportunity for mentorship throughout their four years in the journalism program, working one-on-one with experienced Black journalists at Global News.
Read the announcement.
Who can apply
The Global News Scholarship is open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who self-identify as Black, who are entering the four-year Bachelor of Journalism program in September 2022. To qualify, applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and have a history of community involvement. Preference will be given to those applicants who are pursuing post-secondary studies for the first time and/or who have a disability and/or are from a low-income family or are believed to have financial need for other reasons.
How to apply
To apply, students must complete the Global News Scholarship application form [PDF] on which they will be asked to detail their community involvement. Students must also provide the name and contact information of two references: one work or volunteer reference; and one academic reference. In addition to their application form, students must submit an original essay in response to the topic outlined on the undergraduate scholarships page.
Sylvia D. Hamilton Awards
In 2020 King’s announced the establishment of the Sylvia D. Hamilton Awards. Named in honour of retired Journalism Professor (now Inglis Professor) Sylvia D. Hamilton, up to five awards will be awarded annually. The awards are valued at $2,020 in honour of Hamilton’s retirement year, and each award is renewable over the usual length of the recipient’s degree.
Sylvia D. Hamilton
Sylvia D. Hamilton is a noted writer, poet, filmmaker and visual artist, in addition to educator, who has devoted her career to the places, people and voices that make up the Nova Scotia Black experience, an experience Hamilton has traced back to her own ancestors coming to Nova Scotia in the years following the War of 1812. A professor at King’s since 2004, Hamilton was involved with the King’s Board of Governors prior to her arrival as a professor, where, in the 1980s, she played a role in the creation of policy around racial equity. At the end of June 2020, Hamilton, whose courses in the Bachelor of Journalism program and the Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) program were among consistently popular offerings, formally retired from her position as the Rogers Chair of Communications within the School of Journalism.
Read about the 2021 Sylvia D. Hamilton Award recipients.
Who can apply
African Canadian students, and African Nova Scotians in particular, are invited to apply for the Sylvia D. Hamilton Awards. The awards are open to all degree streams at King’s with a preference for students in journalism and the King’s/Dalhousie MFA in Creative Nonfiction.
How to apply
To apply, students must submit a brief biographical statement about themselves to the Scholarship Committee, including their program of study and general interests and plans. This should be submitted to awards@ukings.ca by March 1.
The CTV News Atlantic Scholarship
The CTV News Atlantic Scholarship is a one-time award in the amount of $5,000.
Who Can Apply
Students in the Bachelor of Journalism (one-year) degree program are invited to apply for this award, with a preference for African Canadian and Indigenous students who demonstrate an interest in television journalism.
How to apply
Students must complete the Graduate and Advanced Journalism Scholarship Application Form [PDF] by February 15, 2022 and select the “CTV News Atlantic Scholarship” box. As part of the application form, applicants will be asked to provide information about their eligibility for the scholarship, and to describe why they are a deserving candidate.
Find the full list of scholarships available for undergraduate students; and for graduate and advanced study on this page. Information about additional scholarships and awards dedicated to Black and African Canadian students is available through the Dalhousie and King’s Black Student Advising Centre.
Have questions? Simply email awards@ukings.ca.
