The Royal Television Society (RTS), Britain’s leading forum for television and related media, is set to launch its prestigious bursary schemes for this year and will be accepting applications from Tuesday 7 March 2023 until Thursday 29 June 2023.
One of the core goals of the RTS is to support the television industry in reflecting the exciting and diverse voices of Britain today which starts by changing the industry from the inside, championing and helping talented students to consider the creative industries.
The RTS runs three main schemes – the TV Production and Journalism Bursary, the Digital Innovation Bursary and the Steve Hewlett Scholarship. In addition to the core schemes, the RTS introduced the Beryl Vertue Scholarship in 2022. From the pool of applicants being considered for the TV Production and Journalism bursary, one additional scholarship is to be awarded to an exceptional candidate with an interest in producing. The successful scholar will receive additional support and funding from Hartswood Films, the company run by the daughters of the late Beryl Vertue. This scholarship is designed to honour and commemorate Vertue’s illustrious television career. All bursaries are awarded to talented students from lower-income backgrounds studying an undergraduate degree or HND Level 5 or 6.
The RTS considers candidates studying all subjects: including but not limited to TV Production and Journalism; Humanities and Social Sciences; and STEM related courses, provided that the student demonstrates an evident interest in pursuing a career in television, film or related media industries.
Following a record year in 2022 for both the number of applications submitted and bursaries awarded, in 2023 the RTS hopes to award up to 35 scholarships to individuals studying Television Production or related subjects, with an additional 10 scholarships for the Digital Innovation bursary.
Theresa Wise, CEO of the RTS, said: “Each year the RTS bursaries provide much-needed support to the next generation of talent in television, and every time we are amazed at the calibre of students emerging from the schemes who go on to do phenomenal work within the industry. We are really looking forward to welcoming another cohort of talented and dedicated students to the RTS bursaries this year, who will no doubt go on to do incredible things.”
Madison Jennings, 2022 RTS bursary recipient, said: “The RTS bursary scheme has helped me massively. The financial aspect allowed me to say yes to more opportunities and allowed me to live comfortably at university. The networking side gave me access to so many inspirational people.”
The schemes attract widespread industry support in the form of donations to fund bursaries and in-kind support, such as mentoring, hosting networking events, and offering internships and work experience. Donations to support the scheme from STV, All3Media, Steve Hewlett Fund, Hartswood Films, ITV Daytime and YouView, as well as support from many other companies and individuals, have enabled the scheme to grow and flourish.
For more information on eligibility and how to apply please visit: https://rts.org.uk/education–and–trainingpages/bursaries
