Not at all.

The Academy is designed for writers, artists, filmmakers, performers, facilitators, researchers, educators, producers, freelancers and creative entrepreneurs.

The Academy is designed for artists and creative practitioners working towards a feasible project or professional goal.

Examples include writing and preparing a novel for self-publication, developing a production or festival, building a creative business or freelance plan, creating a website or portfolio, or preparing a proposal or body of work for submission to stakeholders.

Your project does not need to look like anyone else’s. The definition of “finished” will depend on what you set out to achieve.

Explore the Creative Writing and Creative Enterprise catalogues within the Coaching Pathways section. They provide an overview of the areas Scribble Ink supports and can help you shape your project and identify the guidance you may need.

The catalogues are a starting point, not an exhaustive list. Your project should have a clear creative or professional purpose, be realistic for the twelve-month timeframe and align with the resources and coaching Scribble Ink can provide.

You should bring an initial project idea to the application. The Academy is designed to help you develop and deliver that idea, not choose one for you.

The three coaching sessions follow the Scribble Island session-stacking framework.

• Foundation: Develops your original proposal into a focused project blueprint, with clear foundations, priorities and next steps.

• Growth: Acts as a progress checkpoint. You’ll review what you have completed, what you have learned, any pivots you have made and what needs to happen next.

• Mastery: Brings the project towards completion, publication, production or launch. You’ll refine the final details and plan your route beyond the Academy.

The Academy certificates are continuing professional development certificates issued to recognise completion of a programme milestone.

They can be added to an online professional portfolio, CV or LinkedIn profile. They are not Ofqual-regulated qualifications and do not carry the same status as an A-level, degree or other formal academic award.

Certificates are awarded when you complete the relevant milestone and coaching assessment:

• Level One Certificate in Creative Inquiry and Practice: Scholarship and Foundation

• Level Two Certificate in Creative Development and Practice: Apprenticeship and Growth

• Level Three Certificate in Creative Advancement and Practice: Fellowship and Mastery

• Level Four Certificate in Creative Executive Practice: Capstone submission, podcast evaluation and graduation

Graduates are also recognised as Academy Fellows and receive a badge for professional networking and portfolio purposes.

You do not need previous qualifications, formal training or professional experience.

You do need reliable internet access, the ability to attend virtual coaching sessions, a project idea and a willingness to take ownership of your progress. Your project should be realistic for your time, budget, schedule and current skill set.

Yes. You can apply while you’re on Membership Journey Two or Three. If accepted, you’ll receive 20% off the full-payment fee under the annual subscription. The discount does not apply to the three-instalment payment option.

Yes. Your project can begin in the Ink Hub or elsewhere; you do not need to start again. It must be your original work, and bringing it into the Academy must not breach any agreement or guidelines that apply to it.

You’ll still take part in the full 12-month Academy journey and complete the Scholarship, Apprenticeship and Fellowship assessments. In your project evaluation, you can explain what you brought with you and show how the work developed during those 12 months.

The Scribble Hub is a creative development app that helps you build a Creative Intelligence Profile, develop project briefs and engage with an advisory board as your ideas take shape.

Academy members have access to the Hub as part of what they’ve paid for, but using it is optional. Using it is highly recommended because it can help you organise and develop your work throughout your 12-month journey. Your Academy syllabus is provided separately.

Your 12-month Scribble Hub subscription is included in your Scribble Academy fee, so you won’t need to pay for a separate subscription while you’re enroled.

If you’re already a Scribble Hub member when you join the Academy, you can keep your existing account, projects and credits. Your regular subscription payments will be paused for the duration of the Academy programme, with your InkHub access covered by your Academy fee instead. If an existing subscription payment overlaps with the start of your Academy membership, the value of that payment will be reimbursed to your account in InkHub credits.

Your Academy-included Scribble Hub membership works in the same way as a standard subscription. You’ll receive your usual 5 credits each month, and you can bank and roll over unused credits for future use.

The Academy fee does not include unlimited credits or unlimited access to paid extras within InkHub. If you want to use additional credits beyond those included in your subscription, you’ll need to purchase them separately.

And keep an eye out! Academy members may also receive exclusive bonus credits, discounts, giveaways and special offers throughout their 12-month journey.

The Academy is an individual programme. Each place is linked to one participant, one project and one set of assessments, and each certificate is issued to the person who completes the work.

You may use the Academy to support your role within a wider team or collective, but group enrolment and shared certificates are not available.

For your Foundation session, bring your emerging project idea, relevant research and any early planning or experimentation.

For your Growth session, bring evidence of the work completed since Foundation, your current plan, feedback received and any decisions or pivots you have made.

For your Mastery session, bring the latest version of your capstone project and any material connected to its completion, publication, production or launch.

No. Your Membership Journey Three Pass gives you access to paid content, workshops, live sessions, creative challenges and resources, but you are not required to attend or complete everything.

Choose the material that supports your project and working style. Participation may give you additional contact with the Scribble Ink community, but it does not determine whether you successfully complete the Academy.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to pause your Academy journey at the end of a milestone and agree a revised plan for continuing.

Because places are limited and the waiting list may be extensive, extended timelines cannot always be guaranteed. If illness, financial difficulty or another serious circumstance affects your participation, communicate as early as possible so we can consider what may be possible.

You are responsible for managing your calendar, attending your coaching sessions and submitting the required evidence. If the twelve-month programme period ends without engagement, you may not be eligible for the relevant certificates or a refund.

Discontinuation is rare and would normally follow a serious breach of Scribble Ink’s terms, values or participation guidelines, or continued non-engagement with the required coaching and assessment points.

If circumstances affect your ability to continue, early and honest communication gives us the best opportunity to explore an appropriate arrangement.

After graduation, you’ll receive three additional months of complimentary Membership Journey Three access to support the next phase of your project.

You’ll also graduate as an Academy Fellow, receive your Academy Fellow badge and be able to reference your certificates and completed project in your professional portfolio.

No worries. Simply email info@scribbleink.com with the subject heading Academy.