Ray Bradbury, author of the iconic, dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 once famously said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
Books are how we record and understand our past, present, and future. They are our portals to other worlds, minds, and ideas. They fuel our creativity, inspire our ambition, and teach us empathy.
From art to science to business, the world tends to be shaped by those who read. The world’s most successful people attribute much of their success to reading, from legendary investor and philanthropist Charlie Munger (“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time — none, zero.”) to arguably the most successful storyteller of the modern era J.K. Rowling (“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”).
Whether it be fiction, philosophy, or physics, books and storytelling are one of the few forms that cut across nearly every country, culture, and creed.
The purpose of The Bookworm Scholarship is to support and inspire the next generation of readers, in the belief not only that they will continue to disproportionately impact the world, but also that they will lead, create, and strive with greater empathy, imagination, and ambition.
The scholarship is open to students at any educational level and field of study. The only application requirement is that students be big dreamers and avid readers who shape their goals and worldviews in some form through the books they read.
Students applying to the scholarship will be required to write an essay sharing how a book or author has influenced their ambitions. Essays on books from any genre will be considered.
From Toni Morrison (“If you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”) to Richard Feynman (“You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing.”), lovers of any author or genre are invited to apply to The Bookworm Scholarship.
While not required, working or volunteering at libraries, organizing book clubs, or engaging with the literary community in other ways will be a plus on student applications. The potential impact of the scholarship on students’ abilities to achieve their goals will be considered as well.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned from a book, set of books, or author, and how has this lesson shaped what you hope to achieve in your life?
The essay may focus on any genre. You are encouraged to make the essay personal! Discuss the lesson in the context of your own story. What are your ambitions? How do you hope to achieve them? How have the lessons you’ve learned from books helped you better navigate the world as you work towards your dreams?
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The application deadline is Dec 31, 2019. Winners will be announced on Mar 15, 2020.
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The scholarship award is $1,000.
The winner will be publicly announced on Mar 15, 2020. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.
We will send the award check to the financial aid office of the winner’s academic institution or future academic institution in their name, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school’s requirements). If the student's academic institution does not have a financial aid office, the student will receive the funding directly.
Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to verify their academic enrollment status by providing a copy of their most recent transcript.
If you have any questions about this scholarship or the Bold.org platform, just email contact@bold.org and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.
Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here.