Writing Grant for Writers Over 50: Speculative Older Writers Grant

The Older Writers Grant

OPEN MAY 1, 2023 – MAY 31, 2023

Award: $1,000 USD

Winner announced: July 15, 2023.

Since 2004, the Older Writers Grant has been awarded annually to writers who are at least fifty years of age at the time of application to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. These funds may be used as each writer determines will best assist their work.

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.

This grant is awarded on the basis of merit. If awarded the grant, the recipient agrees to provide a brief excerpt from their work and an autobiographical statement describing themselves and their writing (500-1,000 words) for our files and for public dissemination on our website and our mailing list.

Please note that the goal of these grants is to help as many writers as possible, so recent winners can reapply but will be considered low-priority within a 2-year window of winning.

Grant Application Process

Complete the Application Form. The application form for the SLF Older Writers Grant is only active during the open submission period: 12:00AM May 1, 2023 – 11:59PM May 31, 2023 (All times UTC -4). Required materials include:

• A cover letter: Include a short (less than 500 words) autobiographical statement describing your work thus far, including date of birth, and a bibliography of previously published work, if applicable. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply.

• A writing sample: Up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction. If you are sending a segment of a novel, novella, or novelette, please include a one-page synopsis as the first page of the document. The submitted work must be speculative, as defined above.

Jurors will deliberate with the goal of announcing winners by July 15th, 2023. 

More information and submission portal here.