NEA Literature Fellowships: Poetry, FY 2015

Applicant Eligibility

Creative writers who meet the publication requirements that are listed below are eligible to apply. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. See "How to Prepare and Submit an Application" LINK for the documentation that is required to demonstrate eligibility. Ineligible applications will be rejected without panel review.

You may submit only one application per year. Multiple applications will be deemed ineligible. You may not apply for a Literature Fellowship (in poetry or prose) and a Translation Fellowship in the same year. You are not eligible to apply if you have received two or more Fellowships (in poetry, prose, or translation) from the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, you may not apply if you have received any Arts Endowment Literature Fellowship (in poetry or prose) or Translation Fellowship on or after October 1, 2005 (FY2006).

Former grantees must have submitted acceptable Final Report packages by the due date(s) for all Arts Endowment award(s) previously received.

The NEA Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the only criteria for review are artistic excellence and artistic merit. To review the applications, the NEA assembles a different advisory panel every year, each diverse with regard to geography, race and ethnicity, and artistic points of view.

The NEA Literature Fellowships program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose and poetry available in alternating years. For FY 2015, which is covered by these guidelines, fellowships in poetry are available. Fellowships in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) will be be offered in FY 2016 and guidelines will be available in the fall of 2014. You may apply only once each year.

Competition for fellowships is extremely rigorous. We typically receive more than 1,000 applications each year in this category and award fellowships to fewer than 5% of applicants. You should consider carefully whether your work will be competitive at the national level.

We Do Not Fund

• Individuals who previously have received two or more Literature Fellowships (in poetry or prose) or Translation Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Individuals who have received any Literature Fellowship (in poetry or prose) or Translation Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts within the past ten years.
• News reporting.
• Scholarly writing. (Writers who are engaged in scholarly work may wish to contact the National Endowment for the Humanities.)
• Work toward academic degrees.