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BAFTA Announces UK Scholarship Recipients Including First Prince William Scholars

16 September 2013
Prince William inaugurates Warner Bros. Studios LeavesdenRex Features

Students selected for the BAFTA Scholarship Programme include three beneficiaries of the inaugural Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros.

London, 17 September: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has today announced the 10 UK students who will receive scholarships as part of the BAFTA Scholarship Programme, which assists talented people in need of financial support to study a post-graduate course in film, television or games.

This year, three of the students will receive the first ever Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros. These new scholarships, an integral element of Warner Bros. Creative Talent, Warner Bros.’ investment in UK creative industries’ skills and training, are awarded in the name of HRH The Duke of Cambridge in his role as President of BAFTA.

Each BAFTA Scholar will receive up to £10,000 towards their course fees for a year, mentoring support from BAFTA members, and free access to BAFTA events around the UK. In return, the scholarship recipients will share their learning experiences on BAFTA Guru (www.bafta.org/guru), BAFTA’s online learning channel, and participate in future BAFTA outreach to young people. The Prince William Scholarship recipients – who were named today as Rienkje Attoh from Crystal Palace in London, Sam Coleman from Ibstone in Buckinghamshire, and Sam Hughes from Hockley in Essex – will have their fees funded by Warner Bros. and will additionally receive a short funded work placement within the Warner Bros. group of companies and access to additional Warner Bros. mentors.

The seven other scholarship recipients announced today are Mawusime Blewuada from Thornton Heath in London, Aaron Diebelius from Colchester in Essex, Rhiannon Evans from Caerphilly, South Wales, Steven Ferguson from Cumbernauld in Lanarkshire, Scotland, Ian Forbes from Dundee in Scotland, Eleanor Pitt from Stroud in Gloucestershire, and Folarin Sagaya from Barnet in London. In addition, Luke Stapleton from Bebington in Merseyside, a BAFTA Scholar in 2012, will receive a further scholarship for the second year of his course.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge said: "I am proud to say that, as President of BAFTA, there is a huge amount of work going on to nurture the talent of tomorrow. I am also immensely proud of BAFTA’s new Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, which Warner Bros. is so generously supporting. These scholarships will lead to talented young people, who would otherwise not have the chance to develop their careers, to reach their full potential."

Anne Morrison, Deputy Chair of BAFTA, and Chair of BAFTA’s Learning and Events Committee, who chaired the scholarship selection panel, said: "This year’s scholarship recipients have great talents which, without the right support, were at risk of being lost from our industries. Through the BAFTA Scholarship Programme they now have access to funding, industry events and one-to-one mentoring, to help them make a tremendous contribution to our moving image industries. We look forward to following their future career achievements."

Josh Berger CBE, President & Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland & Spain, said: "We’re committed to finding, funding and nurturing young talent from all backgrounds, so we’re excited to be announcing with BAFTA the first beneficiaries of the Prince William Scholarships. Together with BAFTA, we will provide insight and experience, alongside financial support, to help these talented young people lay the foundations for their future careers."

The BAFTA Scholarship Programme, which is now in its second year, is part of BAFTA’s charitable activity to support talented people at all stages of their career in film, television and games. This year’s recipients were selected by a panel of industry professionals following an open call to students applying for eligible UK courses.

The BAFTA Scholarship Programme has been made possible by the generous support of the Academy Circle, Kevin Burke, the Edwin Fox Foundation, the Galashan Trust, Evelina Girling, the Lowy Mitchell Foundation, Linda Shire, Rebecca Wang and Warner Bros.

The programme in the UK is part of BAFTA’s wider global scholarship activity: BAFTA Los Angeles has an active Scholarship Program offering financial support and mentorship to UK students studying in the US; and the BAFTA New York Media Scholarship Program supports undergraduate and graduate students pursuing media studies at public institutions located within the New York City area. The recipients of BAFTA's scholarships for students in the US will be announced later this month.

Full list of BAFTA Scholarship Programme recipients in 2013:

Recipients of the Prince William Scholarships in Film, Television and Games, supported by BAFTA and Warner Bros.

Rienkje Attoh from Crystal Palace in London is awarded £10,000 towards the MA Producing at the National Film and Television School (NFTS). Rienkje, aged 31, has a background in radio production and previously studied English at Goldsmiths University and Broadcast Journalism at University College Falmouth.

Sam Coleman from Ibstone in Buckinghamshire is awarded £10,000 towards the MA Games Design and Development at NFTS. Sam, aged 24, has a degree in Computer Games Design from the University of South Wales.

Sam Hughes from Hockley in Essex is awarded £5,900 for the MA in Postproduction with Sound Design at the University of York. Sam, aged 25, has a degree in Music Technology and Audio Systems from the University of Huddersfield.

Other new scholarship recipients

Mawusime Blewuada from Thornton Heath in London is awarded £7,500 to study the MA 3D Computer Animation at Bournemouth University. Mawusime, aged 29, has a degree in Computer Science with Image and Multimedia Systems from the University of Southampton.

Aaron Diebelius from Colchester in Essex is awarded £10,000 towards the MA Screenwriting at the London Film School. Aaron, aged 22, previously gained an FdA Video Production from the University of Essex.

Rhiannon Evans from Caerphilly, South Wales is awarded £10,000 towards the MA Directing Animation at NFTS. Rhiannon, aged 33, has a degree in Animation from the University of Wales, Newport.

Steven Ferguson from Cumbernauld in Lanarkshire is awarded £10,000 towards the MA Cinematography at NFTS. Steven, aged 25, has a degree in Digital Film and Television from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland).

Ian Forbes from Dundee is awarded £10,000 for the MA Cinematography at NFTS. Ian, aged 25, has a degree in Time Based Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee.

Eleanor Pitt from Stroud in Gloucestershire is awarded £9,000 to study for the MA Television Journalism at City University. Eleanor, aged 22, has an English degree from the University of Birmingham.

Folarin Sagaya from Barnet in London is awarded £7,760 for the MA in Television Journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London. Folarin, aged 32, has previously studied Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester, and Business and Information Technology at Aston University.

Continuing scholarship recipient

Luke Stapleton, from Bebington in Merseyside, received a BAFTA Scholarship in 2012 for the first year of his MA Screenwriting at Liverpool John Moores University. He will receive a further £2,300 to continue onto the second year of the two-year course.


Further Information:

For further information, please contact:

Rosie Mann | Tel: 020 7010 0843 | Email: [email protected]
Hollie Rendall | Tel: 020 7010 0829 | Email: [email protected]


About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures, scholarships and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit BAFTA and BAFTA Guru.