The CK Emerging Youth Artist Scholarship is offered by the CK Arts Council.

It presents two (2) $1,500 scholarship awards to two (2) graduating Chatham-Kent high school students.

The scholarship supports students who are enrolled in post-secondary arts & culture studies, across all disciplines.

Recipients must be accepted into a post-secondary institution (college or university) full-time in the fall of the year following graduation. Proof of acceptance is required by September 1, 2026.

Prospective candidates will be Chatham-Kent high school students active in any of many artistic disciplines, including dance, theatre, music, performing arts, literary arts (all genres), visual arts (all genres and mediums), and more. Technical training programs are eligible (e.g. stage management, arts administration).

Prospective candidates will be Chatham-Kent high school students active in any of many artistic disciplines, including dance, theatre, music, performing arts, literary arts (all genres), visual arts (all genres and mediums), and more. Technical training programs are eligible (e.g. stage management, arts administration). (see Appendix A for a more comprehensive list).

The Emerging Youth Artist applicant will:

• Demonstrate an ongoing connection to Chatham-Kent , which includes residing in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent or Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit Delaware Nation (Moraviantown First Nation);

• Be involved in Chatham-Kent's arts community as an arts practitioner

• Be recognized for having presented, performed, or published their work publicly;

• Not have received this award previously;

• Not currently be enrolled in full-time training (educational institution or artistic training).

For this award, an emerging artist is defined as:

• Having a body of work that reflects potential and artistic merit outside of basic training or education.

• Having dedicated at least two years of practice;

• Demonstrating involvement in Chatham-Kent's arts community;

• Showing breadth of the applicant’s exposure and recognition at the local level.

Fill out the online form on this website

To meet the eligibility criteria, ensure you have all your support documents ready (work samples, letters of support, etc.) and that your application addresses the eligibility criteria.

An individual may apply for the award by filling out the application form and submitting the required supporting documents, including an optional letter of recommendation and other materials.

Applications for the 2026 Arts Award will close on April 30 at 11:59 pm.

The application components are as follows:

• Artist Statement (1,500 words or less)

• Artist CV or resume (up to 3 pages)

• Letter of Nomination, if applicable

• Additional Letters of Support (optional)

  • You may provide a single-page letter to support your application.

Support Materials

Include 3 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) pieces of support material that is appropriate to your artistic practice and strengthens your application. Y

our support materials can include any combination of the following up to a total of 10 pieces:

• Images

  • JPG or PNG at least 300 dpi no more than 10 MB per file.

• Audio

  • Up to 3 files (or links), 3 minutes each or with a maximum total running time of 9 minutes.

• Video

  • Up to 3 links (preferred) or files, 3 minutes each or with a maximum total running time of 9 minutes.

• Text

  • A single document (DOC, TXT, or PDF) containing one or more excerpts of your writing (poetry, creative writing, original composition, script, etc.) with a maximum length of 10 pages.

All elements can be submitted via the application form on this website

Yes - people can nominate youth for this scholarship.

The application form must be filled out in its entirety.

A Letter of Nomination must also be submitted with the application.

The letter further explains your reasoning for submitting the student for the scholarship and will help the jury to gain further insight into the impact that the award could have on the candidate's work and future goals.

All applications will be screened for eligibility.

The Scholarship Selection Committee will review the eligible applications and shortlist applicants for interviews.

Interviews will take place online via Google Meet by May 15.

All applicants will be notified by email about the result of the process by June 1, 2026.

Where possible, a member of the CK Arts Council Board will attend convocation to present the award in-person to the recipient.

Recipients will also be invited to the 2026 CK Cultural Hall of Fame in October and will be publicly recognized.

The scholarship funds will be released when the successful candidate(s) submit their letter of acceptance or enrollment from the educational institution where they have indicated they will be studying.

Please get in touch with our Executive Director, Eva Marie Clarke evamarie@ckartsandculturenetwork.ca