September 1, 2023 deadline
General Expert Panel comments
Comments made by the panel during the assessment of applications are outlined below. Please note that these comments provide a summary of the panel's assessment and do not necessarily relate to every application submitted to this deadline. The panel does not provide individual comments.
Project description
- As stated in the guidelines applicants are required to submit a detailed project description that includes:
- summary of the proposed work
- objectives
- proposed activities with timelines
- expected results and benefits
- At the beginning of your project description state in one or two sentences what genre you are writing in and the stage you are at.
- Be mindful of the scope of your project. Applicants whose projects consist of a variety of components (research, writing, and marketing) often did not articulate clearly the costs involved or time needed to complete the project successfully.
- The panel often reacted favourably to subject matter and writing samples but was reluctant to support the project due to a lack of detail in the project description, unrealistic timelines, and undefined impact the project might have on the artist and community.
- Before applying for funding, emerging artists are encouraged to take the necessary time to learn the craft and develop their writing by taking courses, joining a writing group, or engaging a mentor.
- The panel appreciated those works that experimented with genre and stretched the artistic boundaries of the artist.
- Artists involved in multi-disciplinary projects – especially those in new collaborations – are encouraged to do the work in viable stages; for example, to focus on the creation in one stage and other phases for future applications.
- The panel appreciated those writing samples that were from the project being proposed.
- Be specific when developing book tours and include concrete rationale why you chose one book fair over another.
- The panel was more inclined to support marketing initiatives of traditionally published projects.
- Project descriptions should be between three to five pages and writing samples no more than ten pages.
Budget
- Remove the guesswork from the panel by being clear and specific with each line item in the budget, e.g., use the comments boxes in the application to identify units, clarify editor’s fees, etc.
- The project description and budget should support and complement each other. Activities and items defined in the project description should have a matching line item in the budget and vice versa.
- Your project should be clear in scope and so should your budget, e.g. does the application have a clear financial focus (this is for art production, training/career development, research, or marketing)?
- Do not inflate the budget – make sure all costs are justifiable and specific to the project.
Support material
- Proofread all documents (resume, production description, and writing sample) for typos and inaccuracies with dates. Do not forget to remove any tracked comments. Upload only PDFs and not Word documents.
- Applicants are encouraged to add letters of support from those directly involved in the project or those who can speak to the quality of the work and value of the applicant’s project.
