Applications for 2026 are now open for playwrights and theatre makers for the IASH/Traverse Creative Fellowship. The Fellowship is a collaboration between IASH (the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh, supporting innovative research and public engagement activities across the arts, humanities and social sciences) and the Traverse Theatre, Scotland’s leading New Writing Theatre.

In 2026, we are providing one Creative Fellowship to take place from January 2026 onwards that commissions, develops and supports an exceptional and innovative playwright in the creation of a new piece of work that speaks to our lives now and into the future.

This Fellowship will be spread across a 10-month period, giving the writer the time, space and support needed to research and write the play whilst working around other commitments.

Each Fellowship will be tailored to the writer's needs and availability but it is expected that the writer can work at the University on a regular basis – such as two to three days a week, or two weeks per month for example. Applicants do not need to be based in Edinburgh, but should be able to travel to IASH regularly. Non-UK-based applicants are unlikely to be successful.

Candidates must have had at least one professionally produced play to be considered.

The stipend for this Fellowship is £12,000.

Find out more here

Deadline: 17:00 UK time on Monday 29 September 2025