Captain (Navy) Bill Wilson Scholarship

Open Application Form [PDF] Bill Wilson Backgrounder [PDF]

Read more about Bill Wilson

About the Scholarship

The Naval Association of Canada - Calgary Branch is launching the Captain (Navy) William H. Wilson Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to encourage members of the Calgary and Southern Alberta naval community enrolled in post-secondary studies to apply for this essay based scholarship.

Naval Community Includes:

Present or past serving members of the Royal Canadian Navy, including children and grandchildren.
Present or past serving members of the Royal Canadian Navy Primary Reserve, including children and grandchildren.
Present or past serving members of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, including children and grandchildren.
Present or past officers of the Navy League of Canada Cadet program, including children or grandchildren.

The Naval Association of Canada - Calgary Branch will be offering a $2,000 first prize, a $500) second prize, and a $250 third prize scholarship to a Canadian student who is enrolled in any post-secondary facility, studying any certificate or degree-based program.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following mandatory criteria. Applicants must:

be enrolled at an accredited university or college, full-time in the school year 2024/2025. Diploma, undergraduate and graduate students are all eligible.
Be a citizen of Canada.

Note: This scholarship is for study only at recognized institutions in Canada. For applicants who have completed a previous degree/diploma abroad, proof of acceptance or registration at a Canadian institution is required.

How to Apply for the Scholarship

Applicants must submit proof of enrollment
Applicants must provide proof of Canadian citizenship (in form of copy of birth certificate, citizenship card or first page of passport).

The essay is to be maximum of 3,000 words (excluding references). Submit your application and your essay to scholarship@naccalgary.ca by no later than October 11, 2024

Award of the Scholarship

All applications and essays will be reviewed by a panel selected by the NAC – Calgary Branch. The president of the NAC Calgary Branch will announce the winner on or before 11 November 2024.

The winning submission will be considered for publication in Canadian Naval Review or The Starshell.

Essay Assignment

Your essay must address all three points below.

By using the reference material included in the application package, review the “Backgrounder” document and familiarize yourself with Captain Wilson’s biography taking note of his cadet background, and his contributions to the World War II movement. Also make note of his life long commitment to Canada and the naval community. Introduce Captain Wilson to the review panel highlighting, in your opinion, what sort of Canadian citizen Captain Wilson represents to you.

Yearly the world reflects on the efforts and sacrifices of all of those who selflessly set aside their own lives to defend Canada from those who have chosen to take away our freedom and liberty for their own gains. In your own words, describe what our brave Canadian men and women did to preserve the freedom that we hold dear to us. Compare the life we all enjoy today because of the sacrifices made by those in the days of war, and how different their young lives were compared to the life you enjoy in Canada today.

With the ceremonies on June 6th to honor 80 years since D Day and that our surviving veterans are all now very close to being 100 years old, provide a message to all Canadians on what we need to say and do to keep the sacrifices made by those, so many years ago, present in mind and a statement that will encourage us today and for times ahead to not forget what they did so we won’t have to do it again!

Essay Competition Guidelines

Submission Requirements:

Word Count: The essay must be not more than 3000 words, excluding references and citations.
Format: Submissions must be in PDF format, using a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 pt) and double-spaced.
Citations: while this is an opinion-based essay, if you use external sources they must be properly cited (APA format suggested) in footnote/endnotes and a bibliography.

Originality and Plagiarism:

Original Work: Essays must be the original work of the participant. Plagiarism, including copying from other sources without proper citation, is strictly prohibited. Essays will be manually reviewed for consistency in tone and style. Sudden shifts in writing style may indicate the use of AI tools. As well, the logical flow and coherence of the essay will be assessed. AI-generated content often lacks the natural progression found in human writing. If AI-generated content is suspected, essays may also be screened for AI-generated content using tools like Scribbr’s AI Detector and Originality.AI.

Consequences of Plagiarism and AI Use:

Disqualification: Any participant found to have plagiarized content or used AI tools to generate their essay will be immediately disqualified from the competition.
Notification: The participant will be notified of their disqualification and provided with a detailed report of the findings.
Future Participation: Disqualified participants may be barred from participating in future competitions.

Submission Deadline:

Deadline: All essays must be submitted by Oct 11, 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Judging Criteria:

Originality: The essay must be original and demonstrate independent thought.
Relevance: The essay must stay on topic and provide a thorough analysis of Bill Wilson’s contributions and the efforts of his generation during World War II.
Clarity and Coherence: The essay must be well-organized, with a clear structure and logical flow and good grammar.

By adhering to these guidelines, we aim to ensure a fair and competitive environment that values originality and academic integrity. Good luck to all participants! If you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to contact us.