We’re pleased to announce that writer, director, and alumna Alexandra Pechman will serve as the juror for the next session of the Alumni Microgrant Program!
Alexandra Pechman is a writer and director living in Los Angeles. She wrote the psychological thriller Tentacles, produced by Blumhouse TV for Hulu’s “Into the Dark” film series, and has written for the cult anthology series Channel Zero on Syfy. As a director, her debut short film, Thumb, premiered at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and was an official competition selection at the Oscar-qualifying 2021 Sitges Film Festival, among many others. Her short film Sleep was named a Spring 2021 Funding Grantee from The Future of Film is Female and premiered at the Museum of Modern Art. She is currently developing her first feature film. Previously as a magazine writer, she published her writing in Vogue, The New York Times, Artforum, Vanity Fair, and many other magazines, and worked for publications such as Artnews, Aperture, and W magazine. She graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with honors and is a 2004 Scholastic Awards alumna.
About the Alumni Microgrant Program
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Alumni Microgrant Program supports creative projects by alumni of the Awards. Created to support alumni across all disciplines, states, and countries, this program seeks clear and compelling proposals that advance alumni development in their chosen field of creative inquiry.
We define creative inquiry as any investigation that informs our humanity and/or serves as a call-to-action promoting racial and social justice. Relevant projects can approach that inquiry through art, writing, performance, technology, math, and the social, natural, and/or physical sciences.
Qualifying projects and related expenses encompass a range of possibilities, including: the cost of travel to conduct research; participation fee for a conference, writer’s retreat or residency; production costs for an exhibition, a public installation, a print edition, or a film; fulfillment of a component to complete a master’s thesis project or doctoral dissertation; and assistance for a curatorial or community-based project or event, among many options. For examples of alumni projects that have been funded by our microgrant program in the past, please visit our blog.
Ten $1,000 grants will be awarded after proposals are reviewed by staff of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and our judge, Alexandra Pechman. Exemplary proposals will demonstrate passion and dedication for the proposed projects. Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm EST.
The 2023 Alumni Microgrant Program is made possible by the Maurice R. Robinson Fund.
Eligibility
- Must be a past Scholastic Awards recipient.
- Currently enrolled high school and undergraduate students are not eligible.
- Previous recipients of this microgrant are ineligible.
How to Apply
All alumni must complete an online application to be considered for a microgrant. The application opens on January 3, 2023, and closes on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET.
Apply here starting January 3, 2023.
If you have any questions, please email support@artandwriting.org.
Featured image: Nitya Lohia, Palette of Snacks, Drawing & Illustration. Grade 12, Plano East Senior High School, Plano, TX. Tiffany Alvarez-Thurman, Educator; Region-at-Large, Affiliate. Silver Medal, 2020.