The John Lewis Writing Grants | Up to $500 + Scholarship

The John Lewis Writing Grants is now open for applications. Georgia Writers’ John Lewis Writing Grants are inspired by the late civil rights icon and his more than three decades of service as Georgia’s 5th District representative.

The John Lewis Writing Grants will be awarded annually in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The purpose of the grants is to elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be 18 years of age and emerging writers who are Black or African-American residents of Georgia. They must have been residents for at least one year, or full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award. 
• Applicants are ineligible if they have published more than one traditionally published book. 
• Promising writers without publication will be considered. 
• Writers who are eligible may apply annually but may only win a grant once. 
• There is no submission fee to enter. 
• Applicants are ineligible if they are of relations to any of the Georgia Writers staff or board of directors.

Requirements

• Writers may apply in only one genre and must submit the following:
• A completed grant application
• An essay of at most 500 words as a concise description of your work and goals as a writer. Please tell us what inspires or challenges your writing career. 
• No more than a ten-page writing sample of a published or unpublished piece in the genre in which you are applying–fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. If submitting poetry, one poem per page. 

See samples of personal statement. 

Benefits:

Successful applicants will receive:

• A grant of $500 to present a workshop or reading at a selected Georgia venue 
• A scholarship to the next annual Red Clay Writers Conference 

Apply here.

Deadline: October 28th, 2024.