Stuart Kirkfield Scholarship

When writer Vivian Kirkfield lost her husband on May 5th, 2018, a group of her friends and family joined together to fund a Highlights Foundation scholarship in his name. They chose the Foundation because of our mission to serve writers and illustrators, as a way to honor Stuart’s support of Vivian as a children’s author–but also because of our natural setting and fly-fishing opportunities, since Stuart was a lifetime bamboo fly-fishing aficionado and the author of The Fine Bamboo Fly Rod: A Master’s Secrets of Restoration and Repair.

Stuart Kirkfield was an educator and financial guide to many. In addition to being a self-taught artisan, restoring fine bamboo fly rods and antique fountain pens, painting in watercolor and writing in calligraphy, he was Vivian’s sounding board for every single story before her critique partners saw it. He played a big role in her burgeoning writing career.

Vivian Kirkfield constantly takes leaps of faith—she jumped from a perfectly good plane with her son, hiked to the summit of Pikes Peak with her husband, and parasailed over the Pacific Ocean with only seagulls for company. Passionate about helping kids become lovers of books, Vivian is the author of board books, picture books, and a middle grade compilation of illustrated biographies that brings history alive for young readers. Her #50PreciousWords contest for adult writers in March garnered over 750 entries in 2023, while the #50PreciousWords Literacy initiative has provided over 700 brand-new books for local schools in need over the past two years. In addition, since 2018, the #50PreciousWordsforKids International Writing Challenge, which takes place during Children’s Book Week in May, invites students from around the world to share their 50-word stories and illustrations.

Get more information about the scholarship process and apply here.