
Luciana Fernandes
Luciana received the 2011 Canada Games Young Artist of Excellence Award in 2016. She completed her undergrad at Dalhousie University, then relocated to British Columbia to pursue her MFA in directing at UBC.
Luciana returned to Halifax in 2018 to participate in Neptune Theatre’s Chrysalis Project, which provides practical experience and mentorship to emerging theatre artists.

Devin Huang
Devin began playing piano in 2013 at the age of seven, and has won both awards and competitions since then.
He was the 2017 recipient of the first ever Gordon Murray rising Star Award, and one of the winners of the 2017/18 Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, an honour which gave him the opportunity to perform with the Orchestra in the spring of 2018.

Ian Parsons
Ian received Talent Trust scholarships to pursue studies in dance. He trained at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts in Halifax, then attended Canada’s National Ballet School.
Ian began teaching ballet after touring with CATS in 2013, and relocated from London, UK back to Canada three years later.

Charley Young
Born in Alberta, Charley moved to Nova Scotia to pursue her BFA at NSCAD University. She received the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award and the Lieutenant Governor Award.
Charley is a practing artist who teaches drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

Lee Yuen-Rapati
Lee received the Talent Trust 2011 Canada Games Award in 2017, the year he began the MA Typeface Design program at the University of Reading in the UK, which is considered by many in the design industry as the best in the world.
He completed his Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Design at NSCAD University, where he taught as a guest lecturer for two years prior to beginning his MA.

Shanice Skinner
Shanice, a soprano born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2017.
Shanice was Nova Scotia’s alto selection for the 2014 National Youth Choir, and soprano for the 2016 National Youth Choir tour in Alberta. She won the Talent Trust Portia White award in 2016, and received a scholarship in 2018 to continue her voice studies.
Scholarship Application Support Materials
The NSTT strongly advises all applicants to complete their application well before the deadline in order to avoid technical last minute problems. The application form closes at 5 p.m. AST for March 1 and 5 p.m. ADT for May 1.
COVID-19:
Given the importance of maintaining social/physical distancing and possible self-isolation for some, we understand that meeting some of the application requirements for the Spring/Summer scholarship deadline will not be possible. For example, it may not be possible to record your videos in a studio/theatre or to have someone accompany you for your piece.
Please know we will understand these limitations and welcome modifications (filming in your living room, solo performances rather than being accompanied, etc.). Please do your best to meet the requirements that are within your control outlined in the Guidelines For Support Material below.
If you plan to apply for both deadlines, you can use some of the Spring/Summer scholarship support material for the Fall/Winter application. Adjustments: You need to add a new introduction and one new piece to your video if you are applying for music, theatre, circus arts, or dance. Please ask for feedback in between applications to take advantage of improvements. The Fall/Winter study application form opens mid-March.
What you will need:
You can download the 2023 General Application Guidelines here.
Guidelines for Support Material specific to your discipline:
- CIRCUS ARTS
- DANCE
- DANCE (CHOREOGRAPHY)
- FILM, VIDEO & MEDIA ARTS
- LITERARY ARTS
- MUSIC (COMPOSITION)
- MUSIC (CONDUCTING)
- MUSIC (INSTRUMENTAL)
- MUSIC (VOICE)
- THEATRE (ACTING)
- THEATRE (DIRECTING)
- THEATRE (MUSIC THEATRE)
- INTERDISCIPLINARY and DESIGN ARTS
- VISUAL ARTS (PERFORMANCE, AUDIO AND/OR INSTALLATION ART)
- VISUAL ARTS/FINE CRAFT/DESIGN/APPLIED CRAFT
Other items you will need:
- Application Checklist with requirements for all disciplines. Download it here.
- PDF files ready for download (such as artist résumé, annotated index, etc.).
- Link to your support material on YouTube or Vimeo and/or SoundCloud, if applicable.
- Link to your study program (be as precise in chosing the link as possible).
- If you are doing private study: PDF file with study outline, curricular goals, letter of interest by teacher and your teacher’s résumé (as listed in the 2023 General Application Guidelines). Please contact your teacher at least 4 weeks before the deadline to give them enough time to prepare these files for you.
Online Application Tips:
- Allow yourself 60-75 minutes to complete the online application.
- To see an example of what the online application form looks like, click here.
- Use Google Chrome as your browser for best results.
- In order to submit a scholarship application, you must first create an account. Please remember your username and password. This will allow you to save your application online and continue to fill it out at a later date. The saving feature works best with Chrome as your browser.
- If you encounter any technical difficulties like: system does not save what you have already filled in, get in touch with us at scholarship(at)nstalenttrust.ns.ca immediately.
- Watch the instructional videos below.
Please watch the following instructional videos before pressing the next button; these will help you understand what materials and links to have ready when starting the application process. Thank you!
All online applications and related support material will be kept by the NSTT for a period of two years of receipt of the application, after which time the NSTT will destroy all online applications and related support material.
Note: Our online application system works best when using Google Chrome as your browser (Internet Explorer won't work).
If you have any questions about your scholarship application for 2023 please get in touch by email at scholarship(at)nstalenttrust.ns.ca.
For applicants wishing to apply to both deadlines, please be aware that you cannot apply online to both deadlines at the same time. You can only apply to the Fall/Winter deadline after the Spring/Summer application deadline has closed.
The Scholarship Application Form for Spring/Summer studies (between May 1 - August 31, 2023) with Deadline March 1 at 5 p.m. AST will re-open January 2024.
The Scholarship Application form for Fall/Winter studies (between September 1, 2023 - April 30, 2024) with application deadline on May 1 at 5 p.m. (ADT) will open mid March 2023.
Please sign up for our Newsletter to receive reminders of our 2024 application deadlines.
Click below to access the online application: