D&AD Rare announces $175,000 in scholarships and grants and plans for London and Tokyo

The leadership masterclass for creative minorities that was hosted in Sydney in November 2017 has released exclusive content from its program sessions today, and announced plans for 2018 – comprising grants to drive and retain diversity in the industry, as well as two follow-up events that will help expand its impact around the world.

The $175,000 raised from sponsorships and art proceeds will be poured into 20 scholarships and grants.

Already, a $10,000 grant has been passed on to tech start-up, Code Like A Girl, to help them launch its Sydney outpost. An all-expenses-paid trip to the D&AD festival has been awarded to design student, Jade Koch, who shone at Brief to Broadcast. And four scholarships to the Berlin School’s prestigious EMBA, have been awarded to Rare delegates – including Emma Morris, Senior Producer at the ABC, who’ll be joining the program in Berlin, this March.

In addition to those already distributed, Rare has announced further scholarships and grants that are open for application as of today.

They include:

The SheSays parental grants

One $10,000 maternity grant for a mother who’s not covered by benefits, and one $10,000 child support grant for a solo parent working in the industry.  

The Heckler film grant

Have the Heckler team edit a film of yours that’s designed to support progress in the diversity and inclusion space.

The Aranui Ventures start-up space

A free work-space for a start-up that’s based in New Zealand and led by one or more rare talents.

The FINCH tech internship and grant

One paid internship and one training grant for rare minds interested in starting out in the tech and innovation space.

The 72&Sunny advertising internships

Two paid internships open to rare minds interested in starting out in the ad world.

The Grumpy Sailor internship

One paid internship for a rare talent looking to start out in digital or film production.

The AFTRS scholarship

One $5,000 scholarship to attend the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School.

The Auckland University of Technology 3rd year grant

$5,000 in student support for two third-year students – one from the Bachelor of Communications, and one from the Bachelor of Design.

The National Art School Grant

One $8,000 scholarship for an indigenous Australian to attend the Australian National Art School.

Says Tara McKenty, Rare co-chair and creative director at Google: “these initiatives will make a huge impact in the lives of the individuals that receive them, but they’ll also help us attract and keep minorities in our industries – which has to happen if we want our work to be relevant and innovative”.  

The event – which was planned in partnership with Berlin School for Creative leadership – will expand across Europe and Asia next year too, with masterclasses set to take place at the D&AD festival in London in April, and in Tokyo in September.

Says Stefanie DiGianvincenzo, Rare co-chair and global creative director at Cotton On: “Our Sydney event was attended by people from all over the world. And it became clear as the week unfolded that this was something desperately needed in other markets. So the decision to expand next year was a no-brainer.”

If you’re interested in applying for any of the scholarships and grants listed here, or if you’d like to know more about attending or supporting the London and Tokyo events, get in touch via info@rare-syd.com.

In the meantime, those interested in knowing more about the event that took place in Sydney can view select sessions, as well as interviews and behind-the-scenes content, on ​Rare’s YouTube channel.