Established Writers Grant
All Writers Grants offered by the Peterson Literary Fund are awarded in two-year cycles, in even-numbered years.
The Established Writers Grant is designed for established writers whose proposed manuscript has received approval from a reputable publisher. The grant is awarded to a work of fiction or non-fiction, written in English or Ukrainian, whose subject matter promotes a better understanding of the Ukrainian experience or is deemed relevant to the global Ukrainian community.
Value
The size of a grant ranges from $6,000 to $10,000 Canadian dollars, depending on the complexity of the project. The size of the grant will be determined by the Awards Jury on a case-by-case basis.
An accompanying publication support grant of $3,000 CAD will be provided towards the publication of each grant-winning manuscript to support the publication and distribution of the books.
Depending on the number and quality of submissions received, the Peterson Literary Fund may award several Writers Grants in a given year. The number of grants awarded in a single year shall be within the discretion of the Awards Jury.
An individual applicant cannot apply for more than one writers grant per cycle.
Requirement
This grant is intended to assist established writers who have received a letter of approval from a reputable publisher.
To be eligible to apply, a writer must have one of the following Ukrainian or English-language works to their credit:
1 professionally published book; OR
Published poems; (a minimum of 4000 words) OR
Fiction short stories published in literary magazines or non-fiction articles, published in periodicals, journals or anthologies (humanities or social sciences) totalling a minimum of 10,000 words
Eligibility of the Submission
A book-length manuscript written in Ukrainian or English
The subject matter promotes a better understanding of the Ukrainian experience or is considered to be relevant to the global Ukrainian community
Original work of fiction or nonfiction of no less than 50,000 words OR a book of original poetry of no less than 25,000 words
A “letter of approval for publication” from a reputable publisher
Restrictions
An author may submit only one manuscript per cycle
A manuscript may be submitted for consideration only once (i.e. no repeat submissions)
Ineligible Submissions and Exclusions:
Manuscripts previously submitted and rejected
Manuscripts written by a ghost writer
Manuscripts whose content has been plagiarized
Conference proceedings, coffee-table books, testimonials, personal journals, magazines, transcripts of interviews, collected letters, directories, bibliographies, reference books, health, fitness, or cookbooks, craft or home-decorating books, and self-help books
Manuscripts submitted on behalf of a deceased author
Submission Dates: March 1 to March 31, 2024
Submission Dates: March 1 to March 31, 2024 (11:55 pm EST)
Successful applicants notified: The fall of 2024
Completed Manuscripts Due: July 31, 2025 (for grants approved in 2024)
Submission Procedure
Writers submit a grant application by using our online submission platform (Read How to Submit a Grant Application)
When filling out the online submission, the writer will be asked to provide:
A Word file containing either a completed manuscript OR the first 10,000 words (approximately 33 -40 pages) of a manuscript whose writing is in progress
A short synopsis of the proposed book
The curriculum vitae of the writer, indicating past publications
A letter of acceptance or letter of intent from a reputable publisher
The publisher’s contact information
Submit a Grant Application
How to Submit a Grant Application
To apply for an Established Writers Grant, you must register on our online application platform, by creating a username and password.
Once your registration is confirmed, you can log into your online profile and fill out the submission form. You can save and go back to the form at any time, so long as you complete and submit the form before the deadline.
Awards Jury and Grant Approval Process
The Awards Jury is comprised of professionals, who may, from time to time, include a mix of writers, editors, journalists, academics, literary translators, and other professionals who are based in Canada and qualified to undertake a balanced review and assessment of Ukrainian and English-language works of fiction and non-fiction.
In addition to their professional qualifications, members of the Awards Jury are selected with consideration to fair representation of gender, age, language competency, community engagement, and global awareness.
Manuscripts will be evaluated by taking into consideration factors such as:
how the subject-matter is handled
its originality
how it engages the reader
the author’s ability to balance lexical richness with readability
its relevance to Ukrainians in Canada or Ukrainians worldwide
Timing of Grant Disbursements
Grants are usually disbursed in two tranches. Authors of manuscripts-in-progress will receive the first 50% of the grant upon approval of their submission, and the remaining 50% upon completion.
The sooner successful writers complete their manuscript, the sooner they receive the full grant. Winning manuscripts approved in 2022, must be completed by July 31, 2023.
Terms and Conditions
Electronic copies of non-winning, manuscript submissions shall be archived by the Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation to ensure that future submissions are not duplicated
Manuscripts of authors of winning Established Writers Grants must be published within two years of the manuscript’s completion
Authors of winning manuscripts must consent to participate in all reasonable promotional events and publicity related to the Stanley Peterson Literary Fund, including media appearances, interviews, receptions, and public readings
Authors and publishers of winning manuscripts will be required to acknowledge receiving support from the Peterson Literary Fund. The acknowledgement should say: This book has been published with the support of a grant from the Peterson Literary Fund at BCU Foundation.