The scholarship is open to emerging creative talent from across Canada wanting to enter the advertising industry. Entrants must be non-professional Canadian residents over the age of 16 who are either in the process of graduating or continuing their education. All fields of creativity related to the advertising community will be considered (e.g. writers, art directors, film makers, recording artists, illustrators, digital artists, etc.).
Scholarship Rules and Regulations
1. Who can enter:
2. How to enter:
Upload a link to a portfolio that you host with a maximum of 10 pieces to the JLF website. In addition to your portfolio, please provide your contact information and a paragraph ( max. 1000 characters ) explaining how the funds would help you to pursue your creative path.
3. Judging:
The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of the portfolio that demonstrates the most original thinking and craftsmanship according to the judging panel.
A judging panel made up of a representative from each of the active founding member agencies
and James Lee’s family will select the winner from the pool of submitted portfolios online.
Periodically, guest judges will be invited to participate.
Each member of the judging panel will score the portfolios online on a scale from 1-10. Each Judge will award a score of 10 to their favourite , a score of 1 to their least favourite and score the others accordingly. A meeting or conference call with the judging panel will confirm the winner for the year. If no submission is deemed appropriate by the judging panel, the award shall be credited back to The James Lee Foundation and no award will be made that year.
In the event any winner does not accept the scholarship awarded, the judging panel will select another candidate from the submissions of that year. If no alternate submission is deemed appropriate by the judging panel, the award shall be relinquished and credited back to The James Lee Foundation.
Winners from previous years are not eligible to reapply. No applicant will be permitted to submit the same portfolio from a previous year’s submission.
A judging panel made up of a representative from each of the active founding member agencies
and James Lee’s family will select the winner from the pool of submitted portfolios online.
Periodically, guest judges will be invited to participate.
Each member of the judging panel will score the portfolios online on a scale from 1-10. Each Judge will award a score of 10 to their favourite , a score of 1 to their least favourite and score the others accordingly. A meeting or conference call with the judging panel will confirm the winner for the year. If no submission is deemed appropriate by the judging panel, the award shall be credited back to The James Lee Foundation and no award will be made that year.
In the event any winner does not accept the scholarship awarded, the judging panel will select another candidate from the submissions of that year. If no alternate submission is deemed appropriate by the judging panel, the award shall be relinquished and credited back to The James Lee Foundation.
Winners from previous years are not eligible to reapply. No applicant will be permitted to submit the same portfolio from a previous year’s submission.
4. Scholarship Amount:
We will be awarding a minimum of $5000 to the winner. The amount may change over time depending on the number of future contributions made.
5. Deadlines For 2025:
Portfolio submissions will be accepted online from Aug.1st, 2025 to Sept.15, 2025.
Judging will be completed by Oct.15, 2025.
The winner will be notified in writing and announced publicly soon after the judging is completed.
Judging will be completed by Oct.15, 2025.
The winner will be notified in writing and announced publicly soon after the judging is completed.
6. Money management:
The Vancouver Foundation will manage the disbursement of the funds for the scholarship and all tax receipts for donations.
7. Contributions:
Contributions to the fund can be made online at jamesleefoundation.com or cheques made out to “ The Vancouver Foundation ”, referencing the “James Lee Foundation ” can be mailed to:
The Vancouver Foundation
200-475 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 4M9
Charitable Registration Number: (BN) 119281640RR
The Vancouver Foundation
200-475 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 4M9
Charitable Registration Number: (BN) 119281640RR
8. Legal:
By submitting work, you acknowledge the foundation’s right to use it for exhibition and publication purposes in full or in part. Each entrant warrants to The James Lee Foundation that all materials in his/her entry wholly are original and do not contain clips, images or audio samples from any other person’s copyrighted material and that such entry materials are the property of the entrant. Each entrant grants The James Lee Foundation, and the Lotus Awards, rights to use, print and reproduce their name and likeness, together with any and all elements of their entry to publicise The James Lee Foundation and this award in all media and by all means.