2015 scholarship winners receive a warm welcome from the School

This year, the School offered more than £100,000 worth of scholarships, across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

A percentage of this money was provided for those who would be joining us to pursue their undergraduate study including £15,000 for the new Creative Minds Scholarships. The Creative Minds Scholarships encourage and celebrate creativity amongst our prospective students, asking them to submit their application in a fresh and original way.

Applications were received from across Wales and videos, posters, poetry and pieces of art arrived at the School office.

The five winners for 2015, who each receive £3,000, are:

• Lucy Boughton
• Rhian Floyd
• Rhydian Jenkins
• Esyllt Lewis
• Erin Fflur Williams

Dr Rhiannon Marks, Admissions tutor at the School of Welsh, said: “This was the first time that we had offered this type of scholarship and the standard of the applications was exceptional. The five successful candidates are very worthy recipients of the scholarships and I look forward to getting to know them better and to follow their academic journeys.”

Two of the scholars, Lucy Boughton and Esyllt Lewis, are celebrating three separate scholarship successes – the Creative Minds Scholarship, The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Scholarship and the Cardiff University AAA Scholarship.

Esyllt Lewis said: “I greatly enjoyed applying for the Creative Minds Scholarships offered by the School of Welsh, as it enabled me to combine my favourite things – Welsh and art. I wrote a creative piece which discussed nature’s colours and turned it into a colourful poster which I painted by hand. The scholarship is a brilliant opportunity for prospective students to hone their creative skills and think creatively about Welsh as a subject. I would encourage anyone who is interested in expressing themselves creatively to try for the scholarship.”

The Creative Minds Scholarship was launched in order to increase the financial support available to students studying at the School of Welsh, and the competition will run again in 2016. Applicants are asked to prepare an application that demonstrates their creativity, reflects their personalities and expresses their ideas in an original way.

There is no formal application form but applicants are asked to respond to three questions:

• Why do you want to study Welsh in Cardiff?
• What makes you a special candidate?
• Why should Cardiff University’s School of Welsh accept you?

There are five Creative Minds Scholarships available for prospective students looking to join the School of Welsh in 2016. The closing date for applications is 20 February 2016. Contact Cadi Thomas for more information.