Evolution Programme 2025-2026

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce the return of the Evolution Programme for 2025-2026. This free six-month programme will provide support for up to twelve published writers (1 or 2 books) to advance their writing careers.

In keeping with Goal 1 of our 2022-2026 Strategy, this programme will provide support to professional writers to advance their craft and career with confidence and resilience.

About the Programme

The Evolution Programme 2025-2026 (EP5) is for writers who have been successfully published. This programme aims to ease the difficult journey of published writers who have one or two books under their belt and need further support at a crucial stage of their careers.

This is a six-month, partially self-led programme where writers can pick from a suite of supports and collaborate with like-minded writers.

The suite of supports includes creative writing courses, one-to-one mentoring, clinics with industry experts, free Irish Writers Centre membership with access to writing space and monthly peer forums. It also includes an opportunity to be on a paid teaching residency with the School of English and Creative Arts at the University of Galway. This residency will be limited to three writers, with further selection through an interview process.*

*This unique opportunity was co-created with Irish Writers Centre Ambassador Mike McCormack and Dr. John Kenny, Director of the BA in English and Creative Writing at University of Galway. 

Who is it for?

Evolution is a programme for up to twelve writers who are over the age of 18 and resident on the island of Ireland.

This programme is for writers who have published at least one book* and who practice in the following genres and forms: fiction, creative non-fiction, children’s/Young Adult fiction and poetry.

*Writers who have secured a publishing deal with a recognised publisher and whose book is scheduled to be launched no later than spring/summer 2026 are also eligible. However they must provide a letter of confirmation from their publisher stating the publication date as evidence of their claim. 

Dedicated places: 

Writers from or living in the North of Ireland: Two places are reserved for writers from or living in the North of Ireland, thanks to the support of the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The Irish Writers Centre encourages applications from writers from backgrounds currently underrepresented in Irish literature. We particularly encourage applications from people who are D/deaf, neurodivergent & disabled, LGBTQIA+, Minority Ethnic, Black & Persons of Colour, Roma, a member of the Travelling Community, and from working class backgrounds.

We encourage writers who are writing in the Irish Language to apply. While we cannot guarantee that all of our supports are delivered as Gaeilge, some bespoke elements of the programme can be organised in Irish.

How Does it Work?

In order to give Evolution Programme (EP) writers opportunities to upskill professionally and creatively, there are a number of supports to choose from, depending on what a writer identifies that they need at this stage of their career.

EP5 writers can choose TWO of the following FIVE options: 

A creative writing course (six, eight or ten-week course)

One-to-One Mentoring:  EP writers will receive creative feedback on their work from an acclaimed Irish writer

One-to-one clinic with an industry professional (e.g. editor, publisher, marketing professional)

Shadow a selection panel: Observe the negotiation between the independent selection panel members for an Irish Writers Centre initiative, e.g. Guthrie Bursary (please note that this option is observational only and the information exchanged is strictly confidential)

Paid teaching residency to teach in-person on the BA in English and Creative Writing programme with University of Galway in autumn 2025. There will be ten teaching residency sessions which will take place in-person at the University of Galway between October 2025 and January 2026 (note: this option will be limited to three writers, with selection by interview)

In addition, each writer will be supported by: 

FREE Irish Writers Centre membership for one year (if not already a member) which includes discounts of all courses, events, bookstore discounts and access to writing space in the Irish Writers Centre building

Dedicated Evolution Day featuring in-person talks from industry professionals at the Irish Writers Centre

Collaboration/Knowledge-Sharing:  a supportive peer group over the lifetime of the programme by way of a collaborative monthly peer-to-peer forum. As a first measure, this forum is supported by the Irish Writers Centre team but we encourage independent collaboration as the forums progress.

Each writer will also have a dedicated Irish Writers Centre team member assigned to them for the duration of the programme.

Timeline and Format

This programme will be delivered both online and in-person. In-person sessions will take place at the Irish Writers Centre, Dublin.

The timeline for this programme is six months from September 2025 to March 2026, with all Evolution Programme writers completing their programme by the end of March. Please note that this programme is not full-time and is largely self-scheduled to fit around participants’ other commitments. The supports chosen by the writer will be tailored to fit around the writer’s personal schedule. We do, however, require EP writers to attend the monthly forums and Evolution Saturday (see key dates below).

Key Dates 

Participants are required to attend monthly peer-to-peer forums and Evolution Saturday, and will be asked to confirm their attendance in their application. The dates of the monthly peer-to-peer meetings are as follows:

Monday 29 September 2025, 4-5pm, online: Forum 1 with the Irish Writers Centre CEO & Irish Writers Centre Team

Monday 20 October 2025, 4-5pm, online: Forum 2

Saturday 15 November 2025, 10am-5pm, in-person: Evolution Saturday (a day of talks taking place in-person at the Irish Writers Centre on 19 Parnell Square)

Monday 24 November 2025, 4-5pm, online: Forum 3

Monday 15 December 2025, 4-5pm, online: Forum 4

Monday 12 January 2026, 4-5pm, online: Forum 5

Monday 16 February 2026, 4-5pm, online: Forum 6

Monday 16 March 2026, 4-5pm, online: Forum 7

Please note that additional in-between online meetings occur monthly along with the peer-to-peer forums and, while optional, may feature industry professionals who will give advice and share their expertise.

Please also note that all participating writers will be asked to complete a detailed evaluation on completion of the programme so that we can continue to improve the delivery of this vital service to writers.

How to Apply

Please send your application to projects@irishwriterscentre.ie no later than Friday 27 June 2025 at midnight with the email subject header ‘Application for Evolution Programme’:

A letter of intent that includes:

1. Why you would like to be on the programme, having given thought to which supports you need and how you could benefit.
2. How you can contribute to skill-sharing forums with your peers on the scheme.
3. Confirmation that you are available for the monthly forums and Evolution Saturday (dates above).

A writer’s CV  (max. two A4 pages) that includes your birth year, postal address, Eircode and email and mobile number. Please also include publisher names and ISBNs for existing publications or evidence of future publication with ISBN(s) and a letter from publisher with future publication date as required.

Two short samples of no more than 600 words each: one published work and one work-in-progress, ensuring that your name is not on them (these will be sent for blind readings).

Please collate your application into one .docx or pdf document. Non-collated documents will be ineligible. 

Applications will be acknowledged by return email. If you have not received an email acknowledgement within three working days, please call our office on +353) 1 872 1302. 

Selection Process

We will award up to twelve places to eligible writers who will be known as EP5 writers. Selection will be made by a panel of Irish Writers Centre team members and professional writers on the basis of their letter of intent, CV and creative writing samples.

Writers will be selected according to these criteria in equal measure: 

• Stated need and case made for the anticipated supports (see ‘How Does it Work’ section above).
• Eligibility and track record.
• Creative samples of work.
• If applicable, letter from publisher (in PDF form) with future publication date.

Due to the volume of applicants we are not in a position to give individual feedback to applicants, unless they have been interviewed, depending on the scheme. This policy extends across all of our calls in the interests of equity and transparency, and because, as a small team, we don’t have the capacity to give individual responses.

Application Deadline

Friday 27 June 2025 at midnight.

Applications will be acknowledged by an automatic email on receipt. If you have not received an email acknowledgement within 24 hours, please write to projects@irishwriterscentre.ie.

No late applications will be considered.

Past Evolution Writers

Evolution Programme 2024/2025 

Francesca Bratton, Alicia Byrne Keane, Amy Clarkin, Patrick Holloway, Marianne Lee, Tim MacGabhann, Emma McKervey, Roisín O’Donnell, Catriona Shine, Milena Williamson

Evolution Programme 2023/2024 

Aoife Barry, Paul Carroll, Mia Döring, Ana Kinsella, Marianne McShane, Juliette Saumande, Molly Twomey, Aimée Walsh, Tríona Walsh and Gwen Wilkinson.

Evolution Programme 2022/2023 

Stephanie Conn, Rachel Coventry, Aingeala Flannery, Amanda Geard, Alice Kinsella, Christopher Linforth, Hilary McCollum, Debbie McCune, Fiona Sherlock and Megan Wynne.

Evolution Programme 2021/2022 

Sheila Armstrong, Helen Blackhurst, Deirdre Cartmill, Kevin Curran, Sue Divin, Arnold Thomas Fanning, Olivia Fitzsimons, Michelle Gallen, Maeve Galvin, Máire T. Robinson, Melatu-Uche Okorie and Liz Quirke.

Testimonials

“The Evolution Programme made me feel connected to other writers in my peer group, and I learned a lot from my mentors. I feel closer to getting work into places I’ve wanted to get it into. I also have a clearer sense of what publishers are after out there”.  – Tim MacGabhann, EP4 Writer 

“The Evolution Programme couldn’t have come at a better time. It helped me so much in the build up to the publication of my debut novel. It was the most brilliant, encouraging experience.” – Patrick Holloway, EP4 Writer 

“I am really grateful to have been awarded a place on the Evolution Programme 2024-5. I learned from other writers across disciplines, taught creative writing to university students, and attended talks from industry professionals on topics from funding and festivals to developing your practice. Being an early-career author comes with a set of unique concerns and goals, which the programme provided for in detail.” –  Alicia Byrne Keane, EP4 Writer  

“The Evolution Programme was transformative for my career. Not least due to the wonderful support of my writer mentors Lucy Caldwell and Colin Barrett, who offered brilliant feedback on my second novel. Working with the Creative Writing team and students at University of Galway was fantastic too! I can’t recommend the Evolution Programme enough!” –  Aimée Walsh, EP3 Writer  

“Through the evolution programme, I was able to have two wonderful experiences – teach at the University of Galway and make professional writer friends with whom great collaborations have happened.”  – Melatu-Uche Okorie, EP1 Writer 

About the Irish Writes Centre

Founded in 1991, the Irish Writers Centre is Ireland’s leading resource and development organisation for writers. Our vision is to support the life of the writer as they illuminate our lives with their ideas and words.

Our creative writing Academy delivers a year-round programme of 150+ creative writing courses, masterclasses and seminars, online and in person. In addition we run a National Mentoring Programme and administer a range of development opportunities for writers including residencies, competitions and bursaries.

We operate on an all-island basis and are a membership organisation and a registered charity.