The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) gives the AFTRS Craft Award as well as the AFTRS Craft Excellence Scholarship.
The AFTRS Craft Award is a prestigious award given to individuals in the film-making and story-telling industry who create outstanding crafts. The award is one of many different awards usually presented to deserving professionals or practitioners in the film and storytelling field during the Sydney Film Festival which has been in existence for seventy years now.
For instance, The recent AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner (a $7,000 cash prize) went to Kalu Oji, Faro Musodza, and Makwaya Masudi, screenwriters for What’s In a Name?
The AFTRS Craft Excellence Scholarship on the other hand is a scholarship program offered by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) to support students who demonstrate excellence in specific craft areas related to the Master of Arts Screen program.
Here are some key points about the AFTRS Craft Excellence Scholarship:
- Purpose: The scholarship is intended to provide financial support to students who excel in identified craft disciplines within the Master of Arts Screen program at AFTRS.
- Eligible Craft Disciplines: In 2023, the scholarship focuses on supporting female-identifying applicants from craft disciplines such as cinematography, sound, editing, and documentary within the Master of Arts Screen program.
- Scholarship Benefits: The scholarship covers the full first-year tuition fee, which is valued at $26,016. Additionally, it offers a 50% tuition fee reduction for the minimum standard full-time duration of the Master of Arts Screen degree.
- Application Process: Scholarship applications are separate from course applications. Applicants must submit separate applications for both the scholarship and the Master of Arts Screen program.
- Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be commencing female-identifying students accepted into the Master of Arts Screen program for the scholarship year. They must also be Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, or New Zealand citizens. Demonstrating craft excellence in a specific identified craft area (cinematography, sound, or editing) is a requirement.
- Application Requirements: Applicants are required to submit a creative work as a demonstration of craft excellence. They must also provide a personal statement explaining how the scholarship will enable them to study at AFTRS and discuss their contribution to the creative work submitted.
- Certification and Translation of Documents: Any supporting documents must be certified copies. If supporting documents are not in English, applicants are required to provide certified copies of the original documents along with English translations by accredited translators.
- Application Deadline: The application portal for the scholarship closes on 7 November 2023.
- Contact Information: Applicants can contact the Student Centre at AFTRS for more information and assistance with their applications.
In summary, while both the AFTRS Craft Award and the AFTRS Craft Excellence Scholarship recognize excellence in craft within the film and storytelling industry, they serve different purposes. The AFTRS Craft Award is an industry recognition for professionals, whereas the AFTRS Craft Excellence Scholarship is a financial support program for students pursuing education in craft disciplines at AFTRS.