The Wine Bloggers Conference Scholarship is a separately administered fund, now in its third year, that helps wine bloggers in financial need attend the North American Wine Bloggers Conference. Last year the scholarship helped eight worthy bloggers attend the conference in Walla Walla.
The very cool thing about the scholarship is that it was created and is administered by bloggers. Donations come from other bloggers and industry members.
We were very excited to learn from the scholarship committee that Winemaker Jayson Woodbridge has established the Layer Cake Wine Scholarship, a $5000 annual contribution to the scholarship fund. This significantly increases the reach of the scholarship and shows how the industry is fully supporting the WBC. Thanks to Layer Cake (Twitter @LayerCakeWine) and its winemaker Jayson Woodbridge for their support!
See below for the full press release.
Layer Cake Wine Establishes Scholarship
Winemaker Jayson Woodbridge endows scholarship for North American Wine Bloggers Conference
Napa, Calif. – April 6th, 2011 — Winemaker Jayson Woodbridge has established the Layer Cake Wine Scholarship. This $5,000 annual endowment will allow deserving recipients to attend the North American Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC). The WBC It is a three-day symposium which offers unique opportunities to learn about the intersection of wine with the world of new media including blogging and various types of social media. The wine world is well represented at the Conference with attendees including noted wine bloggers, new media innovators, and leaders from the wine industry.
The 4th Annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference will take place in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 22, 23, and 24 of 2011. It is held each year in a different location. Previous sites for the Conference include the Napa wine valley, the Sonoma California wine region, and Walla Walla, Washington. This event is recognized as the premier gathering for members of new media and representatives of the wine industry.
“Telling the story of the vine is the life blood of the wine business,” notes Layer Cake winemaker and owner Jayson Woodbridge. “We have such history. It needs to be passed to the next generation. Wine lovers enjoy learning about their favorite labels. These are incredible stories. Wine bloggers and new media visionaries understand this. It’s our pleasure to establish the Layer Cake Wine Scholarship and make these scholarship funds available for those aspiring to do justice to the stories of the wine world.”
“The generosity of Layer Cake Wines and Jayson Woodbridge will go a long way towards fostering the wine writing talents of scholarship winners,” offers Thea Dwelle, chairperson of the WBC Scholarship Committee. “The Layer Cake Wine Scholarship will enable essential growth of new media within the wine community. As the wine industry expands and flourishes, so must the outlets for wine writers. Jayson and Layer Cake have a unique perspective and appreciation for the valuable role that social media, bloggers, and wine focused media play within the wine industry. We are grateful for this vision.”
Potential recipients of the Layer Cake Wine Scholarship can visit http://wbcscholarship.com/america/ for application details and information. The deadline to submit a scholarship application is June 1st, 2011.
Thanks Layer Cake! This is exciting news as we launch our blog and seek new wine bloggers interested in our North Carolina wines.