This list comprises opportunities for writers and journalists. Some are restricted by geography. A couple of the open calls have fast-approaching deadlines. Please check the eligibility and guidelines before applying.
2023 Highlights Foundation Scholarships
All aspiring and published children’s authors and illustrators are invited to apply for the 2023 Highlights Foundation scholarships to their programs. Recipients will be notified in April, and awards will be made as follows: 20 full tuition scholarships for workshops that take place at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center; 20 full tuition scholarships for online courses; 6 scholarships for Whole Novel workshops; and 10 scholarships for personal retreats at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center.
Awards will be based on the following criteria, evaluated by a scholarship committee via the application: seriousness of purpose, including time and effort devoted to craft; talent, displayed via a writing or art sample; and financial need.
Deadline is February 10, 2023. For more details, go here and here. Submission here.
Mongabay: The Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship
The Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship Program builds on Mongabay’s internship program, which has helped bolster the capacity of environmental journalists. It will support up to 12 fellows per year — six at their global English bureau and six at their Spanish-language bureau, Mongabay-Latam. Each cohort will consist of three fellows per bureau.
Fellows will work with a range of editors at their (Mongabay’s) international news outlet, develop their environmental reporting skills, and create a portfolio of original publications that should help them advance their careers in journalism. Each fellow will receive $500 a month for the duration of the six-month fellowship, or $3,000 in total. During that time, fellows will work directly with the fellowship editor to produce six stories. Each fellow is expected to commit to engaging 10 hours a week, and produce an average of one story per month over the course of the fellowship to be published on Mongabay’s website. Work is remote — Mongabay does not have an office and cannot support work visas.
Applicants must be from a low- to upper-middle income tropical country, as classified by the World Bank. Please check the provided list of eligible countries. Applicants must be aspiring, early-career environmental journalists, be able to work remotely and commit to 10 hours per week.
Please see the application requirements, which includes a writing sample in journalistic style, published or unpublished, related to conservation or other environmental issues.
Deadline is February 10, 2023. More details here. Submission here.
Ocean Media Initiative Story Grants 2023: Reporting on Marine Pollution
Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering reporting grants to journalists worldwide to support the production of in-depth stories on the sources and impacts of different forms of marine pollution and solutions to curb them. EJN will offer 8 story grants of approximately $1,200 each, and mentorship, to selected journalists to report on the impacts of marine pollution in their region. Applicants can be from any country in the world; applicants from coastal countries reporting on their home communities are preferred. Groups of journalists are eligible to apply (see guidelines).
Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience and a history of covering ocean issues. Also, applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community-based – are encouraged. The grants will be issued by late February 2023 with the expectation that all stories will be published by October 30, 2023 at the latest.
Please read each section carefully, as they contain detailed information on eligibility, requirements and application process. You’re required to sign up before you may apply.
Deadline is February 13, 2023. More details here. Other grants opportunities here).
2023 Zoeglossia Fellowship
Zoeglossia Fellows are admitted for a five-year term and join a community of poets with disabilities at various career stages, with a range of styles and poetics. Virtual community-building opportunities are hosted year-round in addition to the flagship annual retreat, which Fellows can attend 3 times within their 5-year tenure. The retreat is fully subsidized, so all Fellows can access workshops, food, and lodging in an accessible venue free of charge. Although travel is not included, partial travel stipends can often be provided.
Throughout the 5-year tenure, Fellows can access a broad slate of professional development opportunities, including workshops, roundtables, and a bimonthly “Second Sunday Salon” series. Dedicated reimbursement streams (up to $300/year) are allocated to each Fellow to offset submission fees, manuscript consultations, member dues, and other professional activities.
Poets, age 21+, who identify as disabled are eligible to apply. Fellows must be able to attend morning workshops, afternoon panels/craft talks, and evening readings. Materials to submit include a 500 – 1,000 word statement about disability poetry and disability poetics and 8-10 pages of poems (published and/or unpublished) in a single PDF file.
A suggested $10 submission fee can be donated through the Zoeglossia website but not mandatory. Inability to donate will not affect submissions, as donations will be processed separately from applications.
Deadline is February 15, 2023. More details here, Submission (Google form) here.
Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships
This is an opportunity for U.S.-based official poets laureate; you can read more about that here under ‘Eligibility’. The Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships are $50,000 awards given to honor poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic positions and to enable them to undertake meaningful, impactful, and innovative projects that engage their fellow residents, including youth, with poetry, helping to address issues important to their communities, as well as create new work.
The applicant must be 21 years or above as of January 1, 2023 in the fellowship award year. In addition to the other eligibility and application criteria, the concept, scope, components, depth, geographic reach, and community support of the proposed project will be considered by a panel of award-winning poets and leaders in poetry and civic engagement.
The materials to submit include your CV; a 1-2 page detailed description of your proposed civic project(s); a budget for your proposed civic project(s); and two letters of recommendation. Please read the eligibility and guidelines before submitting.
Deadline is February 17, 2023. Details here, Guidelines (including eligibility requirements) here and Submission here.
coLAB Arts Residency
coLAB Arts is looking to hire a trained and experienced socially-engaged artist for a nine-month residency in Edison, NJ with partner agency, Mission First Housing Group (MFHG). This individual should have a passion for community and civic engagement and in telling local, relevant, and resonant stories. This is not a discipline-specific position. Artists of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply including but not limited to performances artists, visual artists, social practice artists, musicians and composers, art therapists, writers, and storytellers.
This is a full-time in-person position over 40 weeks, split between office, studio, and outreach work. Salary will be set at $40,000 for the full term. Artist will also have their own production budget for use through the residency term. The artist will be working in partnership with MFHG at their two Edison, NJ locations, Imani Park and Amandla Crossing. Studio, office space, and equipment will be made available for the full term of the residency at coLAB Arts’ New Brunswick location. The coLAB Arts Resident Artist with MFHG in Edison, NJ will be responsible for the development of new work responding to the communities of residents at both the Imani Park and Amandla Crossing permanent supportive housing facilities. The Resident Artist will work in collaboration with service providers of MFHG and their partner organizations, engaging in services and advocacy in support of their residents.
To apply, applicants should send resume with three references, artist website (portfolio if available), and cover letter with artist statement to coLAB Arts using the provided registration form. Please read the requirements and other responsibilities of the Resident Artist.
Deadline is February 24, 2023. More details here.
GIJC23 Fellowship
The 2023 Global Investigative Journalism Conference is offering more than 150 fellowships to both established and promising journalists in developing and transitioning countries, and for journalists from disenfranchised communities, to participate in this event. Competition is keen, so you need to convince them that you will make great use of the training that GIJC23 offers. It’s open to full-time print, online, television, video, radio, documentary, and multimedia journalists in developing or transitioning countries. Experience in investigative or data journalism is a plus. Western journalists based overseas are not eligible. Please check out the full list of eligible countries.
Following the conference, fellows are required to either produce a story directly related to #GIJC23 or give a presentation based on the knowledge you gained at #GIJC23 to your colleagues or the journalism community at-large. Please read the detailed guidelines and examples given in the Google document link provided. Benefits include a round-trip airfare to Gothenburg, Sweden; hotel room for four nights and some meals; and conference registration fee. The fellowship does not include a per diem, visa fees, or transport to and from your home country airport. This is a training conference, and fellows are expected to pay for these costs.
Deadline is February 28, 2023. Details here. Submission here,
Las Hermanas Mentorship Program
Las Hermanas is a selection-based mentorship program for traditionally unpublished Latinx kidlit writers and illustrators. It will connect unpublished creatives with current Madrinas. Mentees will benefit from the craft and industry experience of their mentor and will have the opportunity to ask for publishing/marketing related advice and/or receive help with a specific manuscript.
Mentees should be Latinx women and otherwise marginalized people (whose gender identity aligns with femininity), authors and/or illustrators who would like guidance on a specific Picture Book, Chapter Book, Middle Grade or Young Adult project for a period of six months.
Priority will be given to marginalized/underrepresented community members and those who can demonstrate advanced progress on their projects. Those previously published by indie presses and are currently agented but have not sold a project are eligible to apply. (If you’ve sold or are currently in the process of signing a contract for a project with a publishing house, you are not eligible).
Most mentors will be available for 1-2 hours weekly. Specific availability will be determined before the beginning of the mentorship during an interview period. Before you apply, please read ‘Read Before You Apply’ carefully.
Deadline is February 28, 2023. Details here. Submission here.
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum’s 2023 Writer-in-Residence Program
The residency program by the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in Piggott, Arkansas, will be for June 1-30, 2023, and includes lodging at a beautiful loft apartment on the downtown square in Piggott over the City Market coffee shop. The writer-in-residence will also have the opportunity to work in the studio where Ernest Hemingway worked on A Farewell to Arms during an extended stay with his wife’s family in 1928. The residency includes a $1000 stipend to help cover food and transportation.
The writer-in-residence will be expected to serve as mentor for a week-long retreat for writers at the educational center. This retreat will be open to 8-10 writers from the region. The recipient may be asked to hold one or two readings of their own work in the region. The remainder of the month will be free to the writer-in-residence to work on their own work.
Candidates with an MA or MFA in a relevant field are preferred. Please send a cover letter, CV, and writing sample of roughly 20 pages (in any genre) to Dr. Adam Long at adamlong@astate.edu.
Deadline is February 28, 2023. Details here.
The Graywolf Press Prize for African Fiction 2023
Graywolf Press has announced the submission period for the fourth Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize 2023. The prize will be awarded for a first novel by an African author primarily residing in Africa. For this prize, the judge and the Graywolf editors are seeking novels that are engaged with the current moment and that approach contemporary issues with innovative prose and fresh perspectives.
Submissions must be full-length, previously unpublished first novels, or first novels published in Africa that have not been distributed or available for sale outside of the continent of Africa. The winning manuscript will receive a $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf Press.
Deadline is February 28, 2023. More details here. Submission here.
2023 Oxbelly Writers Retreat
The Oxbelly Writers Retreat brings together writers from around the world for a week of literary and creative exchange, held at Costa Navarino in Messinia, Greece. In its inaugural year, Oxbelly Writers Retreat will support 15 emerging fiction writers and poets committed to elevating their craft, strengthening their literary voice, and contributing to intercultural dialogues around storytelling.
Fellows will engage in workshops and craft sessions led by faculty and guests who are themselves established and acclaimed writers and industry leaders, followed by unstructured time to write. There is no cost to apply and all expenses for fellows are covered.
The retreat will consist of a series of workshops led by a faculty of acclaimed writers. The second half offers a mini-residence for the fellows, with evening talks, lectures and readings. Fellows will also engage in cross programmatic opportunities with the Oxbelly Episodic Program, running concurrently at Costa Navarino, thereby expanding their networks and the cross-pollination between the literary and TV industries.
It’s open to Greek and international applicants who are emerging writers of fiction or poetry, including unpublished writers and students, 18 years old and over. The retreat aims to support exceptional narratives in all genres by emerging fiction writers and poets from around the world. The sole criteria is literary quality. To this end, they welcome work that is original in its vision, is written in an engaging voice, uses evocative language, experiments with form, and that is confident in its craft regardless of subject matter.
Deadline is February 28, 2023. For details, go here. Apply here
Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship
The Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards recognize outstanding translations into English of modern Italian poetry through a $10,000 book prize and a $25,000 fellowship, given in alternating years.
The Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship will be given in 2023 to enable an American translator to travel, study, or otherwise advance a significant work-in-progress. The Academy of American Poets invites applications from American translators currently engaged in the translation of 20th-century Italian poetry. The winning translator will receive an award of $25,000 and a five-week residency at the American Academy in Rome.
To apply, a translator (a U.S. citizen, or resident of the United States for the 10-year period prior to the submission deadline) must submit a proposal describing the work-in-progress, the applicant’s credentials, and how the fellowship money will be used. The fellowship recipient must submit a report at the end of the fellowship year, describing his or her progress, as well as a copy of the completed work or revised manuscript. Please read the eligibility criteria and guidelines before submitting your application.
Deadline is March 1, 2023. Details here, Guidelines here, and Submission here.
Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism
Five Ted Scripps Fellowships are awarded each year. It is open to full-time journalists working in any medium who are interested in deepening and broadening their knowledge of environmental issues.
Applicants must have a minimum of five years full-time professional journalism experience and have completed an undergraduate degree. Applicants may include reporters, editors, producers, photojournalists, documentarians, and feature writers. Both salaried staff and full-time freelancers are welcome to apply. Prior experience in covering the environment is not required.
Applications are welcome from international applicants; however, you must hold a current visa and be authorized to work in the United States at the time of application to be considered for this position. The program provides an $80,000 stipend. It also covers tuition and fees, attendance at the annual SEJ conference, and other benefits.
The documents are to be uploaded on the Colorado University jobs website, and include project proposal and work samples. Please note that you are required to register before you may submit your application. Also check their FAQs page.
Deadline is March 1, 2023. More details here and here. Register here.
Furthermore Grants in Publishing (JM Kaplan Fund for Nonprofit Publishers)
Furthermore grants assist nonfiction books having to do with art, architecture, and design; cultural history, the city, and related public issues; and conservation and preservation. They look for work that appeals to an informed general audience, gives evidence of high standards in editing, design, and production, and promises a reasonable shelf life. The grants, ranging roughly from $1,500 to a maximum of $15,000, are awarded twice annually. Funds apply to such specific publication components as writing, research, editing, indexing, design, illustration, photography, and printing and binding.
Book projects to which a university press, nonprofit or trade publisher is already committed and for which there is a feasible distribution plan are usually preferred. Recipients of Furthermore grants are located throughout the U.S. and abroad but mainly in New York City and New York State and its Hudson Valley.
Grant applicants must be 501(c)3 organizations; applications from individuals cannot be accepted. They have included civic and academic institutions, museums, independent and university presses, and professional societies. While grant recipients must have 501(c)3 status, the book projects assisted by Furthermore sometimes result in trade publication. Please read their FAQ page before you apply.
Deadline is March 1, 2023. More details here.
The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2023
The prize is awarded for the best piece of writing, fiction, nonfiction, and non-academic essays, on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2023 – Flourishing. See the links to prizes in other genres below. The winner of the Writing Prize will receive a cash prize, and the runners up will receive travel expense support that must be used to attend their 2023 symposium which will be held from 10th-13th August, 2023 in Fjällnäs, Sweden. First place will receive £3,000 cash grant, Second place £1,000 travel expense, and Third place £1,000 travel expense.
It prize is open to all nationalities. Applicants must be aged 18 or above at the time of entry. All entries must be written in English. Applicants can only enter one of their prizes. Limited to one entry per person, submissions must be standalone and cannot be extracts from a larger piece. A maximum of 2,500 words per entry. Stories must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time.
Travel expenses can be used for transport only, and cannot be used towards accommodation outside of the dates of our symposium. Submissions will be judged anonymously, so please ensure that your name does not appear anywhere on your work.
Deadline is March 1, 2023. For details, go here. Submission here. (There are other Awards: Academic Prize, which is for UK-based students of philosophy; Poetry Prize; Theater Prize.)
Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award
The Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award is a grant of $12,500 to support the work of a promising early-career nonfiction writer on a story that uncovers truths about the human condition. The award proceeds from the recognition that many important stories need to be reported from afar, and that publications do not always have the resources to send a writer where the story is. The money need not be used exclusively for travel, but they expect that most successful applications will include such expenses.
The award will not fund proposals to report on armed conflicts where journalists are already imperiled, nor projects that are mainly investigatory. The winner will normally receive visiting scholar privileges at NYU, including library access.
Before creating your application, please read carefully the FAQ and the Competition Terms of Agreement and Eligibility Requirements (this pdf document isn’t updated, but contains relevant information still). You may only apply to one of the institute’s awards per year. There are no citizenship or residency requirements for this award.
Deadline is March 2, 2023. More details here, Submission here.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowships
The National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships program is offering $25,000 grants in Prose (fiction and creative nonfiction), for this cycle, to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. The program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose and poetry available in alternating years. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States and must meet the fellowship’s publication requirements. For questions about your application, please contact the Literary Arts staff at 202-682-5034 or email LitFellowships@arts.gov.
Deadline is March 8, 2023. More details here.
2023-2024 GrubStreet’s Emerging Writer Fellowship
The Emerging Writer Fellowship will be awarded to three writers who demonstrate a passion for writing, a commitment to developing their writing abilities, and financial need. Any person 18 and older who demonstrates ability and passion for writing is eligible.
The Emerging Writer Fellowship will provide access to each of the following: 4 multi-week courses; 4 one-day (6hr) classes; 4 three-hour seminars; access to a wide selection of 2023 and 2024 Muse & the Marketplace conference series programming; and access to GrubStreet’s Education Director and/or other program staff members for quarterly (or as-needed) office hours for personalized mentorship (Not Required). The fellowship year begins in May, 2023.
This fellowship is open to anyone 18 and older with a passion for writing. The fellowship specifically aims to assist writers in need of financial assistance in reaching their writing goals. Writers from historically underrepresented communities are particularly encouraged to apply.
The requirements include: a sample of your writing that demonstrates your artistic style and voice (5-10 pages for prose, screenwriting, or playwriting; 3-7 pages for poetry); and a personal statement (500 words max.) Please note, prior workshop experience at GrubStreet is not required. Also note, “We hope that this year’s fellows will be able to join us in-person for classes and events during the fellowship year. Priority will be given to applicants who will be able to join us in Boston.”
Deadline is March 13, 2023. For details, go here. Submission here.
Bio: NmaHassan Muhammad is a children’s author, short story writer and poet. He’s currently in submissions for the Wakini Kuria longlisted picture book story HAMOOD’S WISH TREE, which was inspired by the memory of a tree planting activity with his son Hamood. NmaHassan writes from Minna, Nigeria. Tweet him @NmahassanM
