Link BC | Awards and Scholarships

Awards and Scholarships

This list of scholarships and awards for tourism and hospitality students is updated every August, and arranged in order of deadline in the academic year. Please be sure to visit web links where provided as information regarding deadlines is subject to change:

Stephen Phillips Passion for Hospitality Bursary ($1000): Nov 28, 2011

EDC International Business Scholarships ($4000): Jan 30, 2012

Tourism Cares Academic Scholarships ($1000 - $5000): Apr, 2012

TIABC Pat Corbett Bursaries ($1500): Apr 15, 2012

TTRA Canada Gordon Taylor Future Researchers Undergraduate Award ($1000 + +): Spring, 2012

For general (non-tourism) awards visit the Ministry of Advanced Education StudentAidBC site at www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentaidbc/specialprograms/scholarships.htm.

Stephen Phillips Passion for Hospitality Bursary - Deadline November 28th

(one award of $1000)

Terms of Reference: The Stephen Phillips Passion for Hospitality Bursary is dedicated to the memory of Stephen H. Phillips, former Vice-Chairman and CEO of AFM Hospitality Corporation Inc., who passed away from cancer in early 2007. This bursary will be awarded to the hospitality student who best represents the qualities that Stephen Phillips brought to the industry. The recipient will: demonstrate a strong commitment to the industry and their chosen field; have shown a "hands on" quality, and an entrepreneurial spirit; be active in industry associations/events, charity work; and displays the ability to lead and inspire a passion for the field in others.

Applicants must:

Be a Canadian Citizen or landed immigrant.
Be enrolled as a full-time student in a Canadian post-secondary educational institution. hospitality related diploma/degree program.
Be registered in their 2nd semester or higher.
Be active in extracurricular program related activities.
Have achieved a minimum of 70% average in the previous semester/year (transcript required).

To access the application form, please visit: www.hotelassociation.ca/site/news/awards.htm

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EDC International Business Scholarships - Deadline January 30th

(up to 30 awards of $4000)

Terms of Reference: International trade is critical to Canada's economic prosperity and EDC is dedicated to helping students - the next generation of business leaders - to succeed. They award up to 30 scholarships annually, 25 of which go to undergraduate university or college students interested in pursuing a career or furthering their studies in international business, with up to 5 additional scholarships for students in programs which combine business with environmental or sustainability studies. An EDC scholarship is worth a $4,000 cash award.

Applicants must be:

A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Currently enrolled in a full-time accredited bachelor's degree at a Canadian public university or college, in second, third or fourth year (but not final year).
Returning to full-time post-secondary studies for the 2012-2013 academic year.
In excellent academic standing.

Business experience outside Canada will be considered an asset.

Students should be enrolled in a program focused on international business, finance, economics, or a combination of these with environmental/sustainability studies. (Many tourism and hospitality degree programs in BC fit these criteria.) Note: employees of EDC and dependents of employees of EDC are not eligible.

For more information on judging criteria, and the application process, please click here.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee including academic and EDC representatives. Winners will be notified of their selection by early April 2012. The financial awards are paid directly to the student at the beginning of the Fall 2012 semester.

Payment of Award: Scholarships are awarded in spring 2012, and issued in autumn 2012 at the start of the academic year.

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Tourism Cares Academic Scholarship Awards - Deadline April 2012 (exact date TBA)

(60 + awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000)

Terms of Reference: Every year, Tourism Cares distributes tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to tourism students. The scholarships are to be used to cover the following fall semester's tuition, books, and educational fees. Scholarships are open to undergraduate students, and covers research-related expenses for graduate students.

Applicants must be:

Enrolled in the fall semester (not graduating).
A citizen or permanent resident of the US or Canada.
Enrolled at a two-or four-year college or university in the US or Canada.
Entering second year at a two-year school, third or fourth year at a four-year school, or entering/returning to a year of graduate study.
Holding a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA), or greater, on a 4.0 US scale.
Undergrads: minimum 30 credit hours completed for a two-year school, or 60 credit hours for a four-year school by the end of the current semester.

Note: You may only receive one scholarship award from Tourism Cares per calendar year. You may accept other scholarships in conjunction with this scholarship.

Application process: For more information, please visit www.tourismcares.org/scholarships

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TIABC Pat Corbett Bursaries - Deadline April 29th

(2 awards of $1500)

Terms of Reference: These awards recognize two BC tourism/hospitality students who have demonstrated success in their academic lives while also displaying leadership attributes and a desire to excel as a tourism professional. The awards are named after business owner and former TIABC chair Pat Corbett, and were created to recognize Pat's many years of leadership in the industry.

There is an undergraduate and a graduate level award, each consisting of $1,500.00.

Undergraduate Leadership Award ($1500): Qualifying students will be enrolled in either a two-year Diploma or a four-year Bachelor's Degree tourism/travel/hospitality program in a public university, college or institute or through a private institution accredited through the B.C. Private Post Secondary Education Commission.

Graduate Leadership Award ($1500): Qualifying students will have completed (or currently be enrolled in) a Master's degree-level program with a focus on tourism/travel/hospitality in a B.C. university, college or institute.

Requirements: Please identify an instructor or administrator in your program area to support your award application. Have him/her sign your completed application form and then mail original (or email scanned PDF version) to the COTA office (sorry, no faxes).

Application Process: Download and complete an application form (available in early 2012), which must be accompanied by the following:

An official transcript of your most recent student academic record (a photocopy signed by your award "supporting instructor/administrator" is acceptable).
One or more letters of recommendation from your "supporting instructor/administrator" and/or other individuals currently responsible for your education.
One or more letters of recommendation from past or present employers. Employer and school letters must be on official stationary and must include telephone numbers, email contacts and fax numbers. TIABC reserves the right to check all references.
A 500 word essay (approx. two double-spaced pages) expressing your views on a current tourism issue, challenge or opportunity in the industry.

Missing or incomplete documents will detract from your application.

Judging Criteria: Applicants are judged by a TIABC-appointed jury of industry and education leaders. They review applications based on their aptitude for the tourism industry, demonstrated leadership potential, letters of recommendation, extracurricular and volunteer activities, academic record, quality of their industry insight(s) as provided in the essay topic, as well as a consideration of financial need.

Payment of Award: The payment is presented directly to the Award winners at the annual BC Tourism Industry Conference or TIABC Leadership Summit (depends on event planning calendar). Winners will be acknowledged at one of these major industry events and may have the opportunity to say a few words to delegates. Some travel assistance may be available. All arrangements need to be confirmed in advance with the TIABC office.

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TTRA Canada Gordon Taylor Future Researchers Undergraduate Award - Deadline TBA

(1 award of $1000 + up to $1000 to attend the TTRA Canada Conference)

Terms of Reference: The Canadian Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) is dedicated to individuals interested in advancing the quality and effectiveness of tourism research and marketing. TTRA Canada fosters the value and use of research in the marketing, planning and development of tourism. They are a not for profit organization and a chapter of TTRA, an international association.

The purpose of this award is to recognize an interest in and potential for excellence in tourism studies and to encourage undergraduate students to pursue research excellence through employment in industry and/or graduate studies.

The winning student will receive a $1,000 cash award, complimentary TTRA Canada conference registration and up to $1,000 towards travel and accommodation (based on submitted receipts) from TTRA Canada (For group submissions only one student will be funded.) The winner will attend the Canada conference and present a summary of his/her work.

Application process: Submissions must be emailed in one PDF file and include:

Cover page with student name, institution name, phone number, email address, instructor/sponsor name and indication of his/her TTRA member or institutional status (instructor/sponsor or institute must be a TTRA member).
Evidence of tourism studies undertaken during the current academic year as part of a recognized degree or diploma-granting undergraduate program in a Canadian educational institution in the form of one of: a. Term paper, b. Research project, c. Project paper
Statement of involvement with/or experience in the tourism industry.
Statement of interest to pursue tourism research and/or studies in industry or at a graduate level.
Letter of support from a sponsor within an institution where there is a TTRA member.

Judging Criteria: Submissions will be assessed by a panel of reviewers on a 100-point scale as follows: