The Fellowship has been designed for professional, published writers of literary merit with at least two (sole-authored) books – of any genre – already published (or mainstream theatre works performed or scripts broadcast). You should be a native speaker of English and resident in the UK or Ireland at the time of application. The selection process is a competitive one. Once you apply, your literary merit and suitability for the scheme will be measured against those of the other candidates in that round.

The RLF runs the scheme in partnership with universities throughout the UK. Fellowships run the course of an academic year from around mid-September to early June. The Fellow receives a fee (‘stipend’) under contract from the RLF. For entry in autumn 2017 this is £15,000 (36 weeks).

Prospective applicants are advised to check the eligibility criteria and watch the two introductory videos about the scheme on the Royal Literary Fund website before deciding whether to apply.

Recruitment for posts beginning in autumn 2019 (there are no anticipated vacancies for autumn 2018): 

UPDATE as of 27 February 2018: Application packs for the 2019 round of Fellowships are no longer being sent out. If you have already received a pack, the deadline for submitting your application remains 23 March 2018.

Recruitment for posts beginning in autumn 2020: This will open in late November 2018. Further information available here