The Bursary

The BBC has set aside a portion of the funds generated from 'Maria' audience voting lines to distribute as bursaries among the finalists (see below for eligibility criteria) with the intention of helping these finalists to further their career ambitions in the area of musical theatre.

Who is Eligible?
All of the finalists from the 'open audition' process who attended 'Maria School' are eligible to apply for a bursary other than the ten finalists who will appear in the televised production itself. (Finalists will receive equity fee and additional professional training as part of the programme). There is a limited amount of funding so not all applicants for a bursary will be successful.

How do the Bursaries work?
Applicants may apply for any sum of money up to a maximum of £10,000. This level of funding would only be available for bursaries in exceptional circumstances, as most bursaries are likely to be for much smaller amounts as determined by the Maria Bursary panel (see below) . An eligible finalist may only make one application. We would expect the majority of applications to be for musical/theatrical education, such as a contribution to fees or lessons.

Criteria for Application:
Apart from assessing the answers to questions on the finalists' application forms, the selection panel will want successful applicants to demonstrate a commitment to seeking a career in musical theatre as well as showing that a Maria Bursary will make a real difference to achieving their career goal within musical theatre.

Who is on Maria Bursary Panel?
The Panel which reviews and decides on the awarding of Maria Bursaries will be made up of four people - a senior member of the production team, a senior member of the BBC Rights group, a representative from BBC Talent and a representative from Equity.

Payments
We will contact each applicant to say whether they have been successful in receiving a Maria Bursary or not. For those who have been successful we will liaise with regard to the most appropriate method of payment - the monies could pass to the applicant, or direct to their chosen scheme. Either way we will require written proof as to how the money has been applied.