In my prior career I worked with a lot of organizations that offered prizes and fellowships to artists, including writers. $100k is on the high side for a prestigious writer’s fellowship, but not absurdly so. I see the amount as being well targeted for an experienced part-time writer who has been blogging on top of a day job or other commitments and wants to make the leap to full-time but doesn’t feel like they have the runway. It feels harder for me to justify giving an award of that amount to a brand-new blogger; the counterfactual impact would have to be extremely clear.
In my prior career I worked with a lot of organizations that offered prizes and fellowships to artists, including writers. $100k is on the high side for a prestigious writer’s fellowship, but not absurdly so. I see the amount as being well targeted for an experienced part-time writer who has been blogging on top of a day job or other commitments and wants to make the leap to full-time but doesn’t feel like they have the runway. It feels harder for me to justify giving an award of that amount to a brand-new blogger; the counterfactual impact would have to be extremely clear.