Application Form

The Application Form
Most applications are now available for completion online, either through the sponsoring foundation’s website, or through contracted service from Embark.com. Still others are downloadable as Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word files.

The application form (required by all competitions listed herein) solicits basic biographical information, and is generally the first piece of information reviewed by a selection committee. Therefore, it is important to answer each question thoroughly and succinctly, paying close attention to grammar and spelling. Read it aloud to hear your cadence, tone and style. After you complete a draft of the application, print copies and distribute them to several people whom you know well and who will feel comfortable proofreading the information.

Application materials should always be typed neatly. Some competitions even require the use of specific fonts, font sizes, and numbers of words or characters, so pay close attention to the fine print in instructions.

Many competitions require you to submit an original set of materials, as well as photocopies. Collate and fasten materials securely as specified (for example, the instructions may indicate paperclips rather than staples). Check the photocopies to make sure all pages have been included, and are clean and legible.  Sloppiness can and may be held against you by a selection committee.