2025 Ryser Scholarship for High School Students
Applications for this years’ Ryser Scholarship will open in early fall.
This year high school students may apply. The scholarship can be used for other events about writing, conferences or workshops, in-person or remote.
If you have any questions or would like more information, you can contact us at ryseraward@
Some Indiana writers workshops to consider:
IU Writers Conference [Bloomington]
Indiana Writers’ Center, A Gathering of Writers [Indianapolis]
Midwest Writers Workshop [Ball State University, Muncie]
Writing for Your Life Spiritual Writers’ Conference [Indianapolis]
Women Writing for (a) Change workshops [Bloomington]
About The Ryser Scholarship
The Ryser Scholarship is offered annually by the Writers Guild at Bloomington to provide support for a writer from South Central Indiana to pursue excellence by attending a formal workshop in the craft of writing.
Open to writers of any experience level, the Ryser Scholarship rotates yearly between a high school student, a Language Arts teacher, and a Writer’s Guild member.
Joan Ryser, the scholarship namesake, taught American and European literature, creative writing, grammar, and composition at Bloomington High School South for 44 years, where she was a beloved mentor for budding writers and avid readers.
When Ryser passed away in 2017, she left instructions with her family that instead of flowers, memorial contributions be made to a local organization that promotes writing and literacy. The Writers Guild at Bloomington received the resulting donations and established the Writers Guild’s first scholarship award. The Writers Guild has set up a continuing plan for the award, committing 5% of all donations and event proceeds in order to create ongoing support for the scholarship.
Past Recipients
Anna Petro is the 2022 winner of the Ryser Scholarship. 
She was a student in her first year at Bloomington High School North and chose to attend the IU Writers Conference. She shared a wonderful video about her experience here: 2022 Ryser Scholarship winner Anna Petro on the Writers Guild You Tube channel.