Since 2014, the Speculative Literature Foundation has offered two diversity-centered grants intended to foster the creation of speculative fiction wor
Speculative Literature Foundation Grant Application 2023
The Diverse Writers Grant
OPEN JULY 1, 2023 – JULY 31, 2023
Award: $500 USD.
Winner Announced: September 23rd, 2023
The Diverse Writers grant is intended to support speculative fiction writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups — such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, etc. — whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing and publishing process.
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The Diverse Worlds Grant
OPEN JULY 1, 2023 – JULY 31, 2023
Award: $500 USD.
Winner Announced: September 23rd, 2023
The $500 Diverse Worlds grant is intended for work that best presents a diverse world, regardless of the writer’s background.
Grant Information
Your project does not need to center on identity issues. We also do not expect or want work that simply attempts to check off all the boxes in a tokenistic way, but rather are looking for writing that offers deep characterization, complex cultural landscapes, and strong literary quality overall.
The submitted project must be a book-length work of speculative fiction. This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. Speculative literature spans the breadth of fantastic writing, encompassing literature ranging from hard science fiction to epic fantasy, including ghost stories, horror, folk and fairy tales, slipstream, magical realism, and more.
Any piece of literature containing a fabulist or speculative element would fall under our aegis. Nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and editorial projects are not eligible for either grant.
These grants are designed to foster new, in-progress work, not to recognize already published work. We intend that grant funds will facilitate completing the work.
This grant is open to all levels of publishing experience, worldwide. The grant jury will be primarily English-reading, although works that incorporate other languages (as in Keri Hulme’s The Bone People’s use of Maori) are welcome.
Grant Application Process
Complete the Application Form. The application form for the Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds grants are only active during the open submission period: 12:00AM July 1, 2023 – 11:59PM July 31, 2023 (All times UTC -4).
Required materials include:
A written description of the project: This description should not exceed 500 words.
A cover letter: Explain which grant (or grants) you are applying for. Include a short (less than 500 words) autobiographical statement describing your work thus far and a bibliography of previously published work, if applicable.
Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply. For the Diverse Writers grant, please provide a brief statement on the relevant aspect(s) of your background.
A writing sample: Sample should not exceed 5,000 words. The submitted work must be speculative fiction as defined above.
Jurors will deliberate with the goal of announcing winners by September 15th, 2023.
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