Durkie Arts Award

Verified against the EducationMatters award page on 2026-09-08. Endowed by Jacqueline Durkie, who taught at Crescent Heights for many years. The catch worth knowing before you apply: you may not hold other scholarships worth more than $2,000 individually or $4,000 cumulatively, and the Alexander Rutherford Scholarship is explicitly excluded from that count. You must tell EducationMatters about other awards you win. The two reference letters may come from a school official, a teacher or instructor, or a community leader, and they must speak to arts involvement such as painting, drawing, music, poetry, photography or drama. Recipients are chosen in September and have twelve months to enrol in an eligible program of at least two years, or a skilled trade or apprenticeship. Three rules apply to every EducationMatters award and are easy to miss: you must be 20 or younger as of September 1, you must not already be attending a post-secondary institution, and you must apply in your Grade 12 year. Once you leave high school you can no longer apply, so a gap year is fine only if you applied before you graduated.