MVICW is able to provide a number of need and merit-based fellowships (25-40% of registration) to attend our Summer Writers' Conference. Special consideration is given to applicants demonstrating economic need. To apply for financial assistance, please send a sample of your writing (1 poem or 3,000 words of fiction/CNF) and a letter of interest.

For the letter of interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.

The application fee is $10.*

*We have a limited amount of Pay-What-You-Can Application fees for writers facing financial challenges. Please email Alexandra at registration@mvicw.com for consideration.

Parent-Writer Fellowships

We are proud to announce the MVICW Parent-Writer Fellowships (est. in 2016 thanks to support from The Sustainable Arts Foundation). Writers who are also parents have increased difficulties in making time for their writing. Our Parent-Writer Fellowships are intended to give parents both the time and financial support to devote a week to themselves and their writing at MVICW. These fellowships offer funding to attend programs held by the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Application for these fellowships is open to anyone who has a child age 16 or younger living with them.

FELLOWSHIP PRIZES:

Two Full Fellowship Winners (one prose and one poetry) will receive the Full Attendance Package to the MVICW Summer Writers' Conference which includes registration, lodging, and a manuscript session.

Please note: We only announce the names of our first place winners on social media and in our public announcements. Finalists will not be announced.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE, FILE NAME, SUBMISSION, OR LETTER OF INTEREST. Submissions will be judged anonymously.

For Poetry Submissions

• Include a letter of interest (approx. 750 words) in your submission. Please tell us about yourself as a person, an artist, and a parent. We'd like to hear how your family life inspires or challenges your artistic career and how parenthood plays a role in your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit your single best poem (1-3 pages max)

For Prose Submissions

• Include a letter of interest (approx. 750 words) in your submission. Please tell us about yourself as a person, an artist, and a parent. We'd like to hear how your family life inspires or challenges your artistic career and how parenthood plays a role in your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit one short story OR one flash fiction piece OR novel excerpt OR creative nonfiction entry. (The submission should not exceed 3,000 words)

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:

• Payment is $20 per submission. You are welcome to submit more than one piece by submitting them separately and paying the submission fee for each entry.
• The entry must be submitted in English and must be your own original work.
• You may submit new or previously published material. As the manuscripts will not be published/reprinted, the author retains all rights to the work.
• There is no restriction to style, content, or genre.
• You must have at least one child under the age of 16 (who lives with you) to qualify for the fellowship.
• You must be 18 years old or older on the day the retreat begins to enter.
• The submission must not include your real or pen name or any information that identifies you in any way.
• You must submit before midnight on the deadline date.
• Previous First Prize Fellowship & Contest Winners (who attended the in-person conference) are not eligible to apply. However, second-place winners and all virtual conference winners are eligible.

DETAILS ON AWARDS AND RULES:

Full fellowship recipients will receive registration, lodging, and a manuscript session at the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference. The lodging for full fellowship recipients is a triple room with two other attendees at MVICW lodging. If a private room is preferred, the winning writer may choose to pay the difference. The prize does not include lodging outside of MVICW shared-lodging, but the winner may choose to forfeit the lodging stipend and arrange for their own accommodations on the island. The awards do not cover air/travel to the island or food/personal expenses.

You are not eligible to enter the competition if you are (a) our employee or independent contractor of MVICW; (b) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of our employees; (c) a judge involved in the competition, including any reviewer who participates in selecting the nominees and finalists; (d) a close friend of the judge so that the judge can identify your work; (e) a previous MVICW full fellowship/first place contest winner. However, first place winners of our Virtual Conference Fellowships are eligible to apply in hopes of winning attendance to our in-person conference.

We will notify potential winners via email or telephone. If potential winners decline the prize or fail to respond within seven (7) days after the first contact, the winners will be deemed to forfeit the prize and MVICW has the right to select alternate potential winner(s) in their place.

Voices of Color Fellowships

We are proud to announce the Leonard A. Slade, Jr. Poetry Fellowships for Writers of Color (established 2018) to honor poets of color, and The Voices of Color Fellowships (established 2017) to honor prose writers of color. The fellowships assist MVICW with our commitment to expanding the American literary canon by promoting voices from a wide array of cultural backgrounds, and to increasing philanthropic support for writers of color in the arts. Application for these fellowships is open to all writers of color, ages 18 and older.

FELLOWSHIP PRIZES:

Two Full Fellowship Winners (one prose and one poetry) will receive the Full Attendance Package to the MVICW Summer Writers' Conference which includes registration, lodging, and a manuscript session.

Please note: We only announce the names of our first place winners on social media and in our public announcements. Finalists will not be announced.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE, FILE NAME, SUBMISSION, OR LETTER OF INTEREST. Submissions will be judged anonymously.

For Poetry Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit your single best poem (1-3 pages max)

For Prose Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit one short story OR one flash fiction piece OR novel excerpt OR creative non-fiction entry. (The submission should not exceed 3,000 words)

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:

• Payment is $20 per submission. You are welcome to submit more than one piece by submitting them separately and paying the submission fee for each entry.
• The entry must be submitted in English and must be your own original work.
• You may submit new or previously published material. As the manuscripts will not be published/reprinted, the author retains all rights to the work.
• There is no restriction to style, content, or genre.
• You must be a writer of color.
• You must be 18 years old or older on the day the retreat begins to enter.
• The submission must not include your real or pen name or any information that identifies you in any way.
• You must submit before midnight on the deadline date.
• Previous First Prize Fellowship & Contest Winners (who attended the in-person conference) are not eligible to apply. However, second-place winners and all virtual conference winners are eligible.

DETAILS ON AWARDS AND RULES:

Full fellowship recipients will receive registration, lodging, and a manuscript session for the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference. The lodging for full fellowship recipients is a triple room with two other attendees at MVICW lodging. If a private room is preferred, the winning writer may choose to pay the difference. The prize does not include lodging outside of MVICW shared-lodging, but the winner may choose to forfeit the lodging stipend and arrange for their own accommodations on the island. The awards do not cover air/travel to the island or food/personal expenses.

You are not eligible to enter the competition if you are (a) our employee or independent contractor of MVICW; (b) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of our employees; (c) a judge involved in the competition, including any reviewer who participates in selecting the nominees and finalists; (d) a close friend of the judge so that the judge can identify your work; (e) a previous MVICW full fellowship/first place contest winner. However, first place winners of our Virtual Conference Fellowships are eligible to apply in hopes of winning attendance to our in-person conference.

We will notify potential winners via telephone or email. If potential winners decline the prize or fail to respond within seven (7) days after the first contact, the winners will be deemed to forfeit the prize and MVICW has the right to select alternate potential winner(s) in their place.

Queer-Writer Fellowships

Established in 2019, these fellowships assist with our commitment to increasing philanthropic support for LGBTQIA+ writers and expanding the American literary canon. Application for the fellowships is open to all queer-identified writers, ages 18 and older. 

FELLOWSHIP PRIZES:

Two Full Fellowship Winners (one prose and one poetry) will receive the Full Attendance Package to the MVICW Summer Writers' Conference which includes registration, lodging, and a manuscript session.

Please note: We only announce the names of our first place winners on social media and in our public announcements. Finalists will not be announced.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE, FILE NAME, SUBMISSION, OR LETTER OF INTEREST. Submissions will be judged anonymously.

For Poetry Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit your single best poem (1-3 pages max)

For Prose Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit one short story OR one flash fiction piece OR novel excerpt OR creative nonfiction entry. (The submission should not exceed 3,000 words)

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:

• Payment is $20 per submission. You are welcome to submit more than one piece by submitting them separately and paying the submission fee for each entry.
• The entry must be submitted in English and must be your own original work.
• You may submit new or previously published material. As the manuscripts will not be published/reprinted, the author retains all rights to the work.
• There is no restriction to style, content, or genre.
• You must identify as a queer-writer.
• You must be 18 years old or older on the day the retreat begins to enter.
• The submission must not include your real or pen name or any information that identifies you in any way.
• You must submit before midnight on the deadline date.
• Previous First Prize Fellowship & Contest Winners (who attended the in-person conference) are not eligible to apply. However, second-place winners and all virtual conference winners are eligible.

Note: While MVICW publicizes fellowship winners on social media and in our newsletter, we recognize and respect a recipient’s potential wish for anonymity. For this reason, fellowship recipients may choose to remain anonymous.

DETAILS ON AWARDS AND RULES:

Full fellowship recipients will receive registration, lodging, and a manuscript session at the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference. Runner-up recipients will receive registration for the virtual MVICW Weekends with Writers Series. The lodging for full fellowship recipients is a triple room with two other attendees at MVICW lodging. If a private room is preferred, the winning writer may choose to pay the difference. The prize does not include lodging outside of MVICW shared-lodging, but the winner may choose to forfeit the lodging stipend and arrange for their own accommodations on the island. The awards do not cover air/travel to the island or food/personal expenses.

You are not eligible to enter the competition if you are (a) our employee or independent contractor of MVICW; (b) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of our employees; (c) a judge involved in the competition, including any reviewer who participates in selecting the nominees and finalists; (d) a close friend of the judge so that the judge can identify your work; (e) a previous MVICW full fellowship/first place contest winner. However, first place winners of our Virtual Conference Fellowships are eligible to apply in hopes of winning attendance to our in-person conference.

We will notify potential winners via telephone or email. If potential winners decline the prize or fail to respond within seven (7) days after the first contact, the winners will be deemed to forfeit the prize and MVICW has the right to select alternate potential winner(s) in their place.

THE CAROL BROWN GOLDBERG AND HENRY GOLDBERG TEACH! WRITE! PLAY! FELLOWSHIPS                                                                            

We are proud to announce the Teach! Write! Play! Fellowships, established by Carol Brown Goldberg and Henry Goldberg to support educators and writers who work with young people across the globe. These fellowships were created to support the work of individuals who nurture, listen to, and promote the creative voices of our young people. We believe that the hearts and minds of our young people are central to the health of our collective future. By attending The Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, our fellowship winners can bring lessons of creativity and craft back into the lives of the young people they work with, and in this way support the next generation of creative thinkers. We are interested in applications from a wide array of cultural backgrounds and programming. Fellowships are open to anyone who works with youth, age 21 or younger, including university professors & adjuncts; public, private, and after-school teachers; social workers; and community organizers.

FELLOWSHIP PRIZES:

Three Full Fellowship Winners (one prose, one poetry, and one in either category) will receive the Full Attendance Package to the MVICW Summer Writers' Conference which includes registration, lodging, and a manuscript session.

Please note: We only announce the names of our first place winners on social media and in our public announcements. Finalists will not be announced.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE, FILE NAME, SUBMISSION, OR LETTER OF INTEREST. Submissions will be judged anonymously.

For Poetry Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person, an artist, and an educator. We'd like to hear how your work with youth plays a role in your creative work and artistic career. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit your single best poem (1-3 pages max)

For Prose Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person, an artist, and an educator. We'd like to hear how your work with youth plays a role in your creative work and artistic career. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit one short story OR one flash fiction piece OR novel excerpt OR creative non-fiction entry. (The submission should not exceed 3,000 words)

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:

• Payment is $20 per submission. You are welcome to submit more than one piece by submitting them separately and paying the submission fee for each entry.
• The entry must be submitted in English and must be your own original work.
• You may submit new or previously published material. As the manuscripts will not be published/reprinted, the author retains all rights to the work.
• There is no restriction to style, content, or genre.
• You must work with youth, age 21 or younger, through public/community/educational programming.
• You must be 18 years old or older on the day the retreat begins to enter.
• The submission must not include your real or pen name or any information that identifies you in any way.
• You must submit before midnight on the deadline date.
• Previous First Prize Fellowship & Contest Winners (who attended the in-person conference) are not eligible to apply. However, second-place winners and all virtual conference winners are eligible.

DETAILS ON AWARDS AND RULES:

Full fellowship recipients will receive registration, lodging, and a manuscript session for the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference. The lodging for full fellowship recipients is a triple room with two other attendees at MVICW lodging. If a private room is preferred, the winning writer may choose to pay the difference. The prize does not include lodging outside of MVICW shared-lodging, but the winner may choose to forfeit the lodging stipend and arrange for their own accommodations on the island. The awards do not cover air/travel to the island or food/personal expenses.

You are not eligible to enter the competition if you are (a) our employee or independent contractor of MVICW; (b) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of our employees; (c) a judge involved in the competition, including any reviewer who participates in selecting the nominees and finalists; (d) a close friend of the judge so that the judge can identify your work; (e) a previous MVICW full fellowship/first place contest winner. However, first place winners of our Virtual Conference Fellowships are eligible to apply in hopes of winning attendance to our in-person conference.

We will notify potential winners via telephone or email. If potential winners decline the prize or fail to respond within seven (7) days after the first contact, the winners will be deemed to forfeit the prize and MVICW has the right to select alternate potential winner(s) in their place.

Vineyard Writer Fellowships

The Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing is proud to offer fellowships to Martha's Vineyard island writers. These fellowships were designed to give time and financial support to Vineyard writers to devote a week to their craft at MVICW. The fellowship offers funding to attend programs held by the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. The fellowships are open to part-time and full-time Vineyard Residents age 16 and older, and we are particularly interested in offering one (of the two) full fellowships to an island high school junior or senior who plans to pursue creative writing for their future.

FELLOWSHIP PRIZES:

Two Full Fellowship Winners (one prose and one poetry) will receive full registration to the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference and a manuscript session.

Two Second-Place Fellowship Winners (one prose and one poetry) will receive 50% toward registration for the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference

Please note: Previous First Prize Fellowship & Contest Winners (who attended the in-person conference) are not eligible to apply. Second-place winners and all virtual conference winners are eligible.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE, FILE NAME, SUBMISSION, OR LETTER OF INTEREST. Submissions will be judged anonymously.

For Poetry Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life on the island, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit your single best poem (1-3 pages max)

For Prose Submissions

• Letter of Interest (approx. 750 words): Please tell us about who you are as a person and an artist. We'd like to hear about your life on the island, your artistic career, and your creative work. If you have specific needs (financial or creative) which would be met by this award please outline them in your letter.
• Submit one short story OR one flash fiction piece OR novel excerpt OR creative nonfiction entry. (The submission should not exceed 3,000 words)

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES:

• Payment is $20 per submission. You are welcome to submit more than one piece by submitting them separately and paying the submission fee for each entry.
• The entry must be submitted in English and must be your own original work.
• You may submit new or previously published material. As the manuscripts will not be published/reprinted, the author retains all rights to the work.
• There is no restriction to style, content, or genre.
• You must be an island resident age 16 years old or older on the day the retreat begins to enter.
• The submission must not include your real or pen name or any information that identifies you in any way.
• You must submit before midnight on the deadline date.
• Previous First Prize Fellowship & Contest Winners (who attended the in-person conference) are not eligible to apply. However, second-place winners and all virtual conference winners are eligible.

DETAILS ON AWARDS AND RULES:

Full fellowship recipients will receive registration to the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference and a manuscript session. Runner-up recipients will receive 50% toward registration for the MVICW Summer Writers’ Conference.

You are not eligible to enter the competition if you are (a) our employee or independent contractor of MVICW; (b) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of our employees; (c) a judge involved in the competition, including any reviewer who participates in selecting the nominees and finalists; (d) a close friend of the judge so that the judge can identify your work; (e) a previous MVICW full fellowship/first place contest winner. However, first place winners of our Virtual Conference Fellowships are eligible to apply in hopes of winning attendance to our in-person conference.

We will notify potential winners via telephone or email. If potential winners decline the prize or fail to respond within seven (7) days after the first contact, the winners will be deemed to forfeit the prize and MVICW has the right to select alternate potential winner(s) in their place.